Night, and the tramping of many feet on the granite-paved path and
terrace.
The wind from off the sea rushing and sighing round the house, making,
as the great hall door was opened, the lightly-hung pictures on the
walls swing gently to and fro, as if ghostly hands touched them from
time to time.
Claude and Mary were waiting, dressed, in the drawing-room, ready to go
to the inquest, and the latter held her cousin's hand tightly as they
listened, and in imagination painted, by the help of the sounds, all
that was going on.
There were whispers in men's voices, muffled footsteps on the thick rugs
in the paved hall, with the sharp sound from time to time as a foot fell
on the bare granite.
Then came the opening of the study door, and a piteous sigh escaped from
Claude's breast as in imagination she saw the darkened room into which
the jurymen passed one by one, to stay a few moments, and then pass out.
Then more whispers, more trampling, muffled and loud; the closing of the
study door; and then the sighing and moaning of the wind ceased
suddenly, as the great hall door was shut; voices came more loudly as
steps passed along the terrace, and grew fainter and fainter as they
filed out, and once more the house was still.
Down by the inn, affected most by the fishermen from its proximity to
the harbour, the principal part of the inhabitants of the place were
gathered, waiting in knots and discussing Gartram's death, till such
time as the jury returned. Then a lane was opened for them to pass
through into the great room of the inn, the fishermen crowding in
afterwards, while two men drawn, one by summons, the other for reasons
of his own, to the inquest, found themselves, by the irony of fate, side
by side, and compelled to walk in this way down the long passage packed
in by the crowd, and upstairs to the room where the inquest was to be
held.
Parry Glyddyr had grown more calm and firm as the day had worn on, while
Chris had, on the other hand, become more excited; and, finding himself
thus thrown close beside his rival, he could not help turning a sharp
inquiring look upon him, as if asking what he had to say.
But no word was spoken, and, forced on by the crowd behind, they at last
found themselves close up to the head of the table, listening to the
coroners words as the various witnesses were examined, a low murmur
arising when Claude's name was called, and a way clear made for her to
pass through, and give the little evidence she could as to her father's
habits, and then she was led, silently weeping, away.
Sarah Woodham--cold, dark and stern now--was called to speak of her duty
in taking to her master his tonic draught, and she could tell of his
habit in using a narcotic to produce sleep.
Other witnesses were examined, including both the doctors. As her
gravely and deprecatingly stating how he had prescribed for his patient.
The new doctor gave his opinion upon what he had seen; the coroner
summed up; and the jury, sworn to do their duty in the inquiry, had no
difficulty in unanimously agreeing that it was a case of accidental
death, and gradually melting away with the crowd. Glyddyr, one of the
last to leave the room, breathing more freely since he had given his
evidence relative to seeing Gartram lying asleep, but feeling that he
was ghastly pale, and afraid to meet Chris Lisle's eye, as he passed out
of the inquiry room, and out on to the cliff to let the soft, cool night
air fan his cheeks.
His knees seemed to give way beneath him, and he was glad to move a
little to one side, and rest against the iron rail that guarded the edge
of the cliff, for he was giddy with emotion as he felt how narrow an
escape he had had from destruction.
"But they could not tell," he said to himself. "It was his heart; and
no doctor could have analysed the case sufficiently to have said who
gave him a larger quantity than he usually took.
"Yes, safe," he muttered, with a feeling of relief and elation. But the
giddy sensation returned, and he could gladly have gone into the inn and
call for brandy, had he dared, the thought that such an action on his
part might cause suspicion keeping him back.
He could hear the people, grouped about, discussing the event, and
though it horrified him, and moment by moment as he stood leaning over
the rail and gazing out to sea, he anticipated hearing something said
which would fix suspicion upon him, he could not tear himself away.
His men were waiting for him at the harbour steps, but he shrank from
moving, though he suffered agony in staying there, for out before him,
on the dark sea with the stars reflected, and looking up at him like
eyes, he felt that there was danger, and that he would not dare to go
out to his yacht.
And yet he kept asking himself what there was to fear.
"Dead men tell no tales," he kept saying to himself; but nothing seemed
to check his nervous dread.
"Suppose all should be discovered?"
At last he tore himself away, determined to get on board the yacht, have
a good stiff glass of brandy and water, and go to bed early; but,
instead of turning off to the left and down to the end of the pier, he
found himself led as it were up the cliff-path towards the Fort; and
with the full intention of going right to the door to inquire how the
ladies were, so as to force down and master the cowardly dread, he
passed on, and when close to the drawbridge, stopped short.
A firm, elastic step was coming in the other direction, and a new dread
assailed him.
Thought flies quickly, and in a few moments he had analysed his
position.
He had, in his endeavour to obtain money, destroyed Gartram's life. He
had tried to make himself believe that he was only going to borrow part
of what would be his anon; but, in his hurry and fear, he had failed to
obtain the money, and he had removed Gartram.
What would be the result? Claude would doubtless have become his wife
when urged by her father, but that father was dead, and he was face to
face with the fact that he had destroyed his chances. For Claude had
evidently a strong leaning towards Chris Lisle; and while he had been
shiveringly and nervously leaning against the cliff rail, Chris had
quickly made his way to the ladies' side, had walked home with them, and
now was returning master of the situation, and in another few moments
would be standing face to face with him.
A fierce feeling of resentment sprang up in his breast, and, as his
hands clenched, he could feel the veins in his forehead tingle and
start.
Chris was coming slowly down the path, with his head bent, thinking
deeply of Claude's sorrow, and in spite of the angry words which had
passed during their last interview, full of sorrow for the hard,
passionate man cut off so suddenly; but as he suddenly found himself
confronted by Glyddyr, he felt the blood flush up into his temples, and
his hands shook,
It was momentary. His hands dropped easily to his sides, and he told
himself that he need not fear Glyddyr now. He had only to wait
patiently till the time of mourning and sorrow had passed away, and then
Claude would naturally turn to him; and for the first time he felt glad
that he had made that _coup_.
"I am not going to make an enemy of this man," he said to himself. "I
can afford to be generous;" and, breaking the silence, he said quietly,
"Going up to the house, Mr Glyddyr?"
"Sir?"
"I said, are you going up to the house?"
"The man's angry and disappointed," thought Chris, and he spoke in the
same quiet, inquiring tone.
"And, pray, by what right do you question me?" said Glyddyr angrily, and
glad of something which roused him from the trembling, morbid state in
which he was grovelling.
"I can hardly call it a right," replied Chris, "and only speak as a very
old friend of the family."
"Friend? Why, confound you, sir; Mr Gartram ordered you never to enter
his house again."
"Let Mr Gartram rest," replied Chris, gravely, and his tones were so
impressive and seemed so full of suggestion that Glyddyr shrank again,
and was silent. "I only wished to say that Miss Gartram is ill--utterly
prostrate--and that an intrusion--"
"Intrusion!" cried Glyddyr, recovering himself, and beginning to quiver
with jealous rage.
"Yes, sir; intrusion upon Miss Gartram at such a time would be as cruel
as uncalled for."
"Intrusion! Such insolence! Are you aware, sir--"
"I am aware of everything, sir, everything," said Chris firmly; and once
more Glyddyr, ridden by coward conscience, shivered, that word
"everything" conveyed so much. "This is neither time nor place to
discuss such matters. That poor gentleman is lying dead yonder; his
child is broken-hearted, and I ask you, as a gentleman, to refrain from
going up there now."
There was silence for a few moments, during which Glyddyr battled hard
with his feelings, and Chris felt that, had it been any one else, he
would not have spoken in this way.
"And suppose, sir, I refuse?" cried Glyddyr at last.
There was another pause, for the smouldering hatred against this man
deep down in Chris Lisle's breast began to glow, and there was a curious
twitching about his fingers; but the thoughts of what had taken place,
and Claude's pale, sorrowful countenance, rose before him, and he said
quietly,--
"You cannot refuse, sir."
"But I do," raged Glyddyr. "Do you hear? I do refuse, and tell you it
is a piece of insolent assumption on your part to dictate to me what I
shall do."
Chris was silent, and Glyddyr misinterpreted that silence in his
excitement, or he would not have gone on with a passionate rage that was
almost childish.
"Confound you for daring to come here at all. What do you mean, fellow?
And now, understand this: if you intrude your presence upon that lady
or her cousin again, I'll have you horse-whipped and turned off the
place. Do you hear me--go!"
"Parry Glyddyr," said Chris gently, "at a time like this, every instinct
within me prompts me to try and behave like a gentleman--"
"You--a gentleman!" sneered Glyddyr.
"To one who was that poor man's friend, and whom I should fain have
believed--"
"Curse your insolence!" sneered Glyddyr. "Leave this place. Go back to
your kennel, dog. Don't preach to me."
"You have totally forgotten yourself, sir, and I can only attribute it
to your having been drinking. I will not quarrel with you now, I once
more appeal to you to go."
"And I once more order you to go!" cried Glyddyr, whose mad rage for the
moment rode over his natural cowardice. "What! You will not go? It is
an insult to every one here. Be off!"
"Have you forgotten trying to turn me away from here once before?"
"When you took a cowardly advantage of me, sir. I have not forgotten
it, but--bah! I have no time to quarrel with such a cad. Be off, and
if you come here again, take the consequences."
He turned on his heel to go up to the house.
"Stop," said Chris, in a low deep trembling voice. "Mr Glyddyr, I
appeal to you once more. Don't go up there to that place now," and he
laid his hand upon his shoulder.
Glyddyr turned upon him, and made a backhanded blow at his face.
The flame flashed out for an instant, and then it was smothered down.
Quick as lightning Chris Lisle's firm, strong hand gripped his rival by
the wrist; there was a savage wrench given to the arm, and, after a
miserable attempt at resistance, Glyddyr leant over to ease the agony he
felt.
"If I did what nature seems to prompt me to do," whispered Chris, "I
should throw you into that moat; but, I will try and keep my temper.
You are half-drunk. You are not fit to go up to that house. I am not
afraid of your going there, but I will not have her insulted by your
presence to-night. Come down here."
His grip was like that of some machine as he gave Glyddyr's arm another
wrench, and then marched him right away down the path to the harbour,
and then along the pier to the end.
Before they reached this point, Glyddyr had made another feeble attempt
to free himself, and there was a momentary struggle, which brought both
to the edge of the south pier, where there was a fall into deep water.
"Come quietly, or, by all that's holy, I'll throw you in," said Chris
hoarsely; and Glyddyr ceased struggling, and suffered himself to be led
to the end, where the crew of the yacht's gig were waiting, smoking,
till their master came.
"Now," whispered Chris, "go and sleep off your drunken fit. Another
time, when you can act and think like a man, we may both have something
more to say."
He loosened his grip of Glyddyr's arm.
"Here, my lads," he said, "get your master aboard; he is not fit to be
alone."
"Drunk or mad," said Chris to himself, as he strode quickly along the
pier to get back to his own room, and try to grow calm.
"I suppose a man must feel like I did to-night," he thought, after a
time, "when the devil comes into him, and he kills his enemy. If he had
known what was in me then, he wouldn't have dared to say all that. But
I'm better now."
Volume Three, Chapter II.