"
Natalie handed the letter to her aunt, and pointed to the sentence which
asserted Turlington's guilty knowledge of the attempt on Sir Joseph's
life. In silent horror the two women looked at each other, recalling
what had happened earlier in the evening, and understanding it now. The
servant roused them to a sense of present things, by entering on the
narrative of his discoveries in the village.
The place was all astir when he reached it. An old man--a stranger in
Baxdale--had been found lying in the road, close to the church, in a
fit; and the person who had discovered him had been no other than Launce
himself. He had, literally, stumbled over the body of Thomas Wildfang in
the dark, on his way back to his lodgings in the village.
"The gentleman gave the alarm, miss," said the servant, describing the
event, as it had been related to him, "and the man--a huge, big old
man--was carried to the inn. The landlord identified him; he had taken
lodgings at the inn that day, and the constable found valuable property
on him--a purse of money and a gold watch and chain.
Pages:
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165