The Evil Guest Read online

whathe had seen, and one of the men having raised the stone, which he had notstrength to lift, they found the dagger, which Smith had identified asbelonging to his master. This weapon was stained with blood; and somehair, which was found to correspond in color with Sir Wynston's, wassticking in the crevice between the blade and the handle.

  "It appears very strange that one man should have employed twodistinct instruments of this kind," observed Mervyn, after a pause. Asilence followed.

  "Yes, strange; it does seem strange," said Marston, clearing his voice.

  "Yet, it is clear," said another of the jury, "that the same hand didemploy them. It is proved that the knife was in Merton's possession justas he left his chamber; and proved, also, that the dagger was secreted byhim after he quitted the house."

  "Yes," said Marston, with a grisly sort of smile, and glancingsarcastically at Mervyn, while he addressed the last speaker--"I thankyou for recalling my attention to the facts. It certainly is not a verypleasant suggestion, that there still remains within my household anundetected murderer."

  Mervyn ruminated for a time, and said he should wish to put a few morequestions to Smith and Carney. They were accordingly recalled, andexamined in great detail, with a view to ascertain whether any indicationof the presence of a second person having visited the chamber with Mertonwas discoverable. Nothing, however, appeared, except that the valetmentioned the noise and the exclamations which he had indistinctly heard.

  "You did not mention that before, sir," said Marston, sharply.

  "I did not think of it, sir," replied the man, "the gentlemen were askingme so many questions; but I told you, sir, about it in the morning."

  "Oh, ah--yes, yes--I believe you did," said Marston; "but you then saidthat Sir Wynston often talked when he was alone; eh, sir?"

  "Yes, sir, and so he used, which was the reason I did not go into theroom when I heard it," replied the man.

  "How long afterwards was it when you saw Merton in your own room?"asked Mervyn.

  "I could not say, sir," answered Smith; "I was soon asleep, and can't sayhow long I slept before he came."

  "Was it an hour?" pursued Mervyn.

  "I can't say," said the man, doubtfully.

  "Was it five hours?" asked Marston.

  "No, Sir; I am sure it was not five."

  "Could you swear it was more than half-an-hour?" persisted Marston.

  "No, I could not swear that," answered he.

  "I am afraid, Mr. Mervyn; you have found a mare's nest," said Marston,contemptuously.

  "I have done my duty, sir," retorted Mervyn, cynically; "which plainlyrequires that I shall have no doubt, which the evidence of the witnesscan clear up, unsifted and unsatisfied. I happened to think it of somemoment to ascertain, if possible, whether more persons than one wereengaged in this atrocious murder. You don't seem to think the question soimportant a one; different men, sir, take different views."

  "Views, sir, in matters of this sort, especially where they tend tomultiply suspicions, and to implicate others, ought to be supported bysomething more substantial than mere fancies," retorted Marston.

  "I don't know what you call fancies," replied Mervyn, testily; "but hereare two deadly weapons, a knife and a dagger, each, it would seem,employed in doing this murder; if you see nothing odd in that, I can'tenable you to do so."

  "Well, sir," said Marston, grimly, "the whole thing is, as you term it,odd; and I can see no object in your picking out this particularsingularity for long-winded criticism, except to cast scandal upon myhousehold, by leaving a hideous and vague imputation floating among themembers of it. Sir, sir, this is a foul way," he cried, sternly, "togratify a paltry spite."

  "Mr. Marston," said Mervyn, rising, and thrusting his hands into hispockets, while he confronted him to the full as sternly, "the countryknows in which of our hearts the spite, if any there be between us, isharbored. I owe you no friendship, but, sir, I cherish no malice, either;and against the worst enemy I have on earth I am incapable of pervertingan opportunity like this, and inflicting pain, under the pretence ofdischarging a duty."

  Marston was on the point of retorting, but the coroner interposed, andbesought them to confine their attention strictly to the solemn inquirywhich they were summoned together to prosecute.

  There remained still to be examined the surgeon who had accompanied thecoroner, for the purpose of reporting upon the extent and nature ofthe injuries discoverable upon the person of the deceased. He,accordingly, deposed, that having examined the body, he found no lessthan three deep wounds, inflicted with some sharp instrument; two of themhad actually penetrated the heart, and were, of course, supposed to causeinstant death. Besides these, there were two contusions, one upon theback of the head, the other upon the forehead, with a slight abrasion ofthe eyebrow. There was a large lock of hair torn out by the roots at thefront of the head, and the palm and fingers of the right hand were cut.This evidence having been taken, the jury once more repaired to thechamber where the body lay, and proceeded with much minuteness to examinethe room, with a view to ascertain, if possible, more particularly theexact circumstances of the murder.

  The result of this elaborate scrutiny was as follows:--The deceased,they conjectured, had fallen asleep in his easy chair, and, while he wasunconscious, the murderer had stolen into the room, and, before attackinghis victim, had secured the bedroom-door upon the inside. This was arguedfrom the non-discovery of blood upon the handle, or any other part of thedoor. It was supposed that he had then approached Sir Wynston, with theview either of robbing, or of murdering him while he slept, and that thedeceased had awakened just after he had reached him; that a brief anddesperate struggle had ensued, in which the assailant had struck hisvictim with his fist upon the forehead, and having stunned him, hadhurriedly clutched him by the hair, and stabbed him with the dagger,which lay close by upon the chimneypiece, forcing his head violentlyagainst the back of the chair. This part of the conjecture was supportedby the circumstance of there being discovered a lock of hair upon theground at the spot, and a good deal of blood. The carpet, too, wastumbled, and a water-decanter, which had stood upon the table close by,was lying in fragments upon the floor. It was supposed that the murdererhad then dragged the half-lifeless body to the bed, where, havingsubstituted the knife, which he had probably brought to the room in thesame pocket from which the boy afterwards saw him take the dagger, hedispatched him; and either hearing some alarm--perhaps the movement ofthe valet in the adjoining room, or from some other cause--he droppedthe knife in the bed, and was not able to find it again. The wounds uponthe hand of the dead man indicated his having caught and struggled tohold the blade of the weapon with which he was assailed. The impressionof a bloody hand thrust under the bolster, where it was Sir Wynston'shabit to place his purse and watch, when making his arrangements for thenight, supplied the motive of this otherwise unaccountable atrocity.

  After some brief consultation, the jury agreed upon a verdict of willfulmurder against John Merton, a finding of which the coroner expressed hisentire approbation.

  Marston, as a justice of the peace, had informations, embodying theprincipal part of the evidence given before the coroner, sworn againstMerton, and transmitted a copy of them to the Home Office. A reward forthe apprehension of the culprit was forthwith offered, but for somemonths without effect.

  Marston had, in the interval, written to several of Sir Wynston's manyrelations, announcing the catastrophe, and requesting that steps mightimmediately be taken to have the body removed. Meanwhile undertakers werebusy in the chamber of death. The corpse was enclosed in lead, and thatagain in cedar, and a great oak shell, covered with crimson cloth andgoldheaded nails, and with a gilt plate, recording the age, title, &c.&c., of the deceased, was screwed down firmly over all.

  Nearly a fortnight elapsed before any reply to Marston's letters wasreceived. A short epistle at last arrived from Lord H----, the late SirWynston's uncle, deeply regretting the "sad and inexplicable occurrence,"and adding, that the will, whic
h, on receipt of the "distressingintelligence," was immediately opened and read, contained no directionwhatever respecting the sepulture of the deceased, which had thereforebetter be completed as modestly and expeditiously as possible, in theneighborhood; and, in conclusion, he directed that the accounts of theundertakers, &c., employed upon the melancholy occasion, might be sent into Mr. Skelton, who had kindly undertaken to leave London without anydelay, for the purpose of completing these last arrangements, and whowould, in any matter of business connected with the deceased, representhim, Lord H----, as executor of the late baronet.

  This letter was followed, in a day or two, by the arrival of Skelton, awell-dressed, languid, impertinent London