WHAT THE LORDS AND COMMONS SAID ABOUT THE MURDER.
When the House met on that Thursday at four o'clock everybody was
talking about the murder, and certainly four-fifths of the members
had made up their minds that Phineas Finn was the murderer. To have
known a murdered man is something, but to have been intimate with
a murderer is certainly much more. There were many there who were
really sorry for poor Bonteen,--of whom without a doubt the end had
come in a very horrible manner; and there were more there who were
personally fond of Phineas Finn,--to whom the future of the young
member was very sad, and the fact that he should have become a
murderer very awful. But, nevertheless, the occasion was not without
its consolations. The business of the House is not always exciting,
or even interesting. On this afternoon there was not a member who
did not feel that something had occurred which added an interest to
Parliamentary life.
Very soon after prayers Mr. Gresham entered the House, and men who
had hitherto been behaving themselves after a most unparliamentary
fashion, standing about in knots, talking by no means in whispers,
moving in and out of the House rapidly, all crowded into their
places. Whatever pretence of business had been going on was stopped
in a moment, and Mr. Gresham rose to make his statement. "It was with
the deepest regret,--nay, with the most profound sorrow,--that he was
called upon to inform the House that his right honourable friend and
colleague, Mr. Bonteen, had been basely and cruelly murdered during
the past night." It was odd then to see how the name of the man, who,
while he was alive and a member of that House, could not have been
pronounced in that assembly without disorder, struck the members
almost with dismay. "Yes, his friend Mr. Bonteen, who had so lately
filled the office of President of the Board of Trade, and whose
loss the country and that House could so ill bear, had been beaten
to death in one of the streets of the metropolis by the arm of a
dastardly ruffian during the silent watches of the night." Then Mr.
Gresham paused, and every one expected that some further statement
would be made. "He did not know that he had any further communication
to make on the subject. Some little time must elapse before he could
fill the office. As for adequately supplying the loss, that would
be impossible. Mr. Bonteen's services to the country, especially in
reference to decimal coinage, were too well known to the House to
allow of his holding out any such hope." Then he sat down without
having as yet made an allusion to Phineas Finn.
But the allusion was soon made. Mr. Daubeny rose, and with much
graceful and mysterious circumlocution asked the Prime Minister
whether it was true that a member of the House had been arrested, and
was now in confinement on the charge of having been concerned in the
murder of the late much-lamented President of the Board of Trade.
He--Mr. Daubeny--had been given to understand that such a charge had
been made against an honourable member of that House, who had once
been a colleague of Mr. Bonteen's, and who had always supported the
right honourable gentleman opposite. Then Mr. Gresham rose again.
"He regretted to say that the honourable member for Tankerville was
in custody on that charge. The House would of course understand that
he only made that statement as a fact, and that he was offering no
opinion as to who was the perpetrator of the murder. The case seemed
to be shrouded in great mystery. The two gentlemen had unfortunately
differed, but he did not at all think that the House would on that
account be disposed to attribute guilt so black and damning to
a gentleman they had all known so well as the honourable member
for Tankerville." So much and no more was spoken publicly, to the
reporters; but members continued to talk about the affair the whole
evening.
There was nothing, perhaps, more astonishing than the absence of
rancour or abhorrence with which the name of Phineas was mentioned,
even by those who felt most certain of his guilt. All those who had
been present at the club acknowledged that Bonteen had been the
sinner in reference to the transaction there; and it was acknowledged
to have been almost a public misfortune that such a man as Bonteen
should have been able to prevail against such a one as Phineas Finn
in regard to the presence of the latter in the Government. Stories
which were exaggerated, accounts worse even than the truth, were
bandied about as to the perseverance with which the murdered man
had destroyed the prospects of the supposed murderer, and robbed
the country of the services of a good workman. Mr. Gresham, in the
official statement which he had made, had, as a matter of course,
said many fine things about Mr. Bonteen. A man can always have fine
things said about him for a few hours after his death. But in the
small private conferences which were held the fine things said all
referred to Phineas Finn. Mr. Gresham had spoken of a "dastardly
ruffian in the silent watches," but one would have almost thought
from overhearing what was said by various gentlemen in different
parts of the House that upon the whole Phineas Finn was thought to
have done rather a good thing in putting poor Mr. Bonteen out of the
way.
And another pleasant feature of excitement was added by the prevalent
idea that the Prince had seen and heard the row. Those who had been
at the club at the time of course knew that this was not the case;
but the presence of the Prince at The Universe between the row and
the murder had really been a fact, and therefore it was only natural
that men should allow themselves the delight of mixing the Prince
with the whole concern. In remote circles the Prince was undoubtedly
supposed to have had a great deal to do with the matter, though
whether as abettor of the murdered or of the murderer was never
plainly declared. A great deal was said about the Prince that evening
in the House, so that many members were able to enjoy themselves
thoroughly.
"What a godsend for Gresham," said one gentleman to Mr. Ratler very
shortly after the strong eulogium which had been uttered on poor Mr.
Bonteen by the Prime Minister.
"Well,--yes; I was afraid that the poor fellow would never have got
on with us."
"Got on! He'd have been a thorn in Gresham's side as long as he
held office. If Finn should be acquitted, you ought to do something
handsome for him." Whereupon Mr. Ratler laughed heartily.
"It will pretty nearly break them up," said Sir Orlando Drought, one
of Mr. Daubeny's late Secretaries of State to Mr. Roby, Mr. Daubeny's
late patronage secretary.
"I don't quite see that. They'll be able to drop their decimal
coinage with a good excuse, and that will be a great comfort. They
are talking of getting Monk to go back to the Board of Trade."
"Will that strengthen them?"
"Bonteen would have weakened them. The man had got beyond himself,
and lost his head. They are better without him."
"I suppose Finn did it?" asked Sir Orlando.
"Not a doubt about it, I'm told. The queer thing is that he should
have declared his purpose beforehand to Erle. Gresham says that
all that must have been part of his plan,--so as to make men think
afterwards that he couldn't have done it. Grogram's idea is that he
had planned the murder before he went to the club."
"Will the Prince have to give evidence?"
"No, no," said Mr. Roby. "That's all wrong. The Prince had left the
club before the row commenced. Confucius Putt says that the Prince
didn't hear a word of it. He was talking to the Prince all the time."
Confucius Putt was the distinguished artist with whom the Prince had
shaken hands on leaving the club.
Lord Drummond was in the Peers' Gallery, and Mr. Boffin was talking
to him over the railings. It may be remembered that those two
gentlemen had conscientiously left Mr. Daubeny's Cabinet because they
had been unable to support him in his views about the Church. After
such sacrifice on their parts their minds were of course intent on
Church matters. "There doesn't seem to be a doubt about it," said Mr.
Boffin.
"Cantrip won't believe it," said the peer.
"He was at the Colonies with Cantrip, and Cantrip found him very
agreeable. Everybody says that he was one of the pleasantest fellows
going. This makes it out of the question that they should bring in
any Church bill this Session."
"Do you think so?"
"Oh yes;--certainly. There will be nothing else thought of now till
the trial."
"So much the better," said his Lordship. "It's an ill wind that blows
no one any good. Will they have evidence for a conviction?"
"Oh dear yes; not a doubt about it. Fawn can swear to him," said Mr.
Boffin.
Barrington Erle was telling his story for the tenth time when he was
summoned out of the Library to the Duchess of Omnium, who had made
her way up into the lobby. "Oh, Mr. Erle, do tell me what you really
think," said the Duchess.
"That is just what I can't do."
"Why not?"
"Because I don't know what to think."
"He can't have done it, Mr. Erle."
"That's just what I say to myself, Duchess."
"But they do say that the evidence is so very strong against him."
"Very strong."
"I wish we could get that Lord Fawn out of the way."
"Ah;--but we can't."
"And will they--hang him?"
"If they convict him, they will."
"A man we all knew so well! And just when we had made up our minds to
do everything for him. Do you know I'm not a bit surprised. I've felt
before now as though I should like to have done it myself."
"He could be very nasty, Duchess!"
"I did so hate that man. But I'd give,--oh, I don't know what I'd
give to bring him to life again this minute. What will Lady Laura
do?" In answer to this, Barrington Erle only shrugged his shoulders.
Lady Laura was his cousin. "We mustn't give him up, you know, Mr.
Erle."
"What can we do?"
"Surely we can do something. Can't we get it in the papers that he
must be innocent,--so that everybody should be made to think so? And
if we could get hold of the lawyers, and make them not want to--to
destroy him! There's nothing I wouldn't do. There's no getting hold
of a judge, I know."
"No, Duchess. The judges are stone."
"Not that they are a bit better than anybody else,--only they like to
be safe."
"They do like to be safe."
"I'm sure we could do it if we put our shoulders to the wheel. I
don't believe, you know, for a moment that he murdered him. It was
done by Lizzie Eustace's Jew."
"It will be sifted, of course."
"But what's the use of sifting if Mr. Finn is to be hung while it's
being done? I don't think anything of the police. Do you remember how
they bungled about that woman's necklace? I don't mean to give him
up, Mr. Erle; and I expect you to help me." Then the Duchess returned
home, and, as we know, found Madame Goesler at her house.
Nothing whatever was done that night, either in the Lords or Commons.
A "statement" about Mr. Bonteen was made in the Upper as well as
in the Lower House, and after that statement any real work was out
of the question. Had Mr. Bonteen absolutely been Chancellor of the
Exchequer, and in the Cabinet when he was murdered, and had Phineas
Finn been once more an Under-Secretary of State, the commotion
and excitement could hardly have been greater. Even the Duke of
St. Bungay had visited the spot,--well known to him, as there the
urban domains meet of two great Whig peers, with whom and whose
predecessors he had long been familiar. He also had known Phineas
Finn, and not long since had said civil words to him and of him. He,
too, had, of late days, especially disliked Mr. Bonteen, and had
almost insisted that the man now murdered should not be admitted into
the Cabinet. He had heard what was the nature of the evidence;--had
heard of the quarrel, the life-preserver, and the grey coat. "I
suppose he must have done it," said the Duke of St. Bungay to himself
as he walked away up Hay Hill.