Agnes Vol. 2 — page 223: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

216 introduced him to Sergeant Wrightson of the De teotive Force as a fit and proper person to conduci the plans which were now requisite to bring home the crime to Mr. Timperley. Accordingly, the Sergoant set two of his subordinates to work to ferret out whatsoevor fresh details they might pos: sibly obtain in the clue which was being followed up; while a third was appointed to keep watch on Mr. Timperley’s movements. At half-past eight o’clock on the ensuing even- ing, Lord Ormsby and Sergeant Wrightson called at the house in Norton Street; and they gave Mrs. Maddox full instructions how she was to act when Mr. Timperley should make his appearance. Two rooms separated by folding-doors, presonted arrangements by means of which the nobleman and the detective could overhear everything which might take place. At nine o’clock Mr. Timperley knocked at the door of the house; and he waa shown into the room whore Mrs. Maddox awaited him. It is scarcely necessary to observe that his guilty soul was full of alarm ; for he knew full well that this was the house where Mrs. Chicklade had dwelt; and the wording of the landlady’s letter had shown him that she considered him to be in her power. She must therefore have disco- vered something ! But that the matter could be settled for money, he had every reason to hope and believe from the private and stealthy way in which he was thus sent for. Mrs, Maddox faithfully followed out the course which Ormsby and the detective had suggosted. Bhe spoke to Mr. Timperley of the letter ho had written to Mrs. Chicklade, and in which he had promised the sum of five thousand pounds as the purchase-money of her mlence in respect to some discovery she had made materially damaging to his reputation as well as perilous to his personal safety. Mrs. Maddox likewise spoke of the visit of his niece Cicely Neale to procure Mrs. Chick- Jade’s papers; and then she said, “ You know, Mr. Timperloy, your niece obtaincd that letter ‘Vkich you penped to the woman; and you gave your xjsce a dowry of thirty thousand pounds, either as a bribe for her silence, or else as the actual purchase-money for the damnatory docu- ment!" “Ah, then Cicely has betrayed mo !” ejaculated the lawyer, who was thrown completely off his guard, * No—she did not intentionally botray you,” re- plied Mra, Maddox: “ but I discovered the secret —it matters not how.” Then Mr. Timperley began to sound Mrs. Mad- dox as to what her views might be,—though at the same time he endeavoured tc impress upon hor that he was really innocent of the crime, but that for the sake of avoiding thp chance of incurring disagreeable euspicion he had no objection to place the seal of silence upon her lips. He proposed that she should depart forthwith fur Amorica—that he would give her five hundred pounds on the day that she set off—and that he would annually remit her one-half of that sum. and he suggested that she should leave London on the morrow. To this also she agreed; and he took his departure, with the tuderstanding that he should be there at seven o'clock ingtho morning to see her off. Aud at seven o'clock in the moaning Ormsby nothing more to apprehend in that quarter. She gavo her consent ; AGNES; OR, BEAUTY AND PLEASUEE. and the detective were again concealed in the inner room separated from the front one by the folding: doors; and Mr. Timperley was punctual to the ap- pointment, Hoe gave Mre. Meddox the promised amount; anc he said, “I am evon dealing with you more liberally than I had undertaken or than you could bave expected; for there is a draft upon an American house—one of the principal firms in New York—for a further sum of five hundred pounds, which will be paid to you the instant you arrive in that city.” He accompanied the woman in a cab to Euston Square: he paid her fare to Liverpool—he saw her ake ber seat in the railway carriage—and ho vitnessed the departure of the trian. His mind was then easy ; and he felt convinced there was As 7or Mrs. Maddox herself, sha left the train at some tation at no great distance down the line, and on tho ensuing night returned to London, where sho ‘ook a temporary lodging in the suburbs that she - might hold horself at the disposal of Sergeant Wrightson whenever the coy%ie of justice should require her presence in..~vio witness-box. The money and the drafter 46n America which she had received,from, Mr. Timperley, she surrendered up into the offjcer’s keeping, Lord Ormaby guarantee- ‘og that she should not be a loser by the procecd- ing. In the mean time the two detectives who had een set to work to ferret out fresh details, had not been idle. They had communicated with the vlicemen who discovered the body of Mrs. Chick - lade at the time when the murder was committed : hey obtained all requisite information from that source; and they procured copies of the deposi- ions taken at the examination of Winifred before he police-magistrate. The incident was then rought back to recollection that Mr. Timperley nad actually presented himself at the time in the olice-court—that he had ‘voluntarily stood for- yard to announce himeelf as the attorney engaged ‘0 conduct the accused girl’s defence; and this proceeeding on his part was now regarded as a more cloak to shield himself against the possibility f{ suspicion. ‘Then, too, thore was a portion of Mr. Meadowbank the surgeon’s evidence, at the ame of that cxamination, which now engaged the serious attention of the detectives ; inasmuch as ¢ tended to prove that it was really more consis- ent to beliove that the murder had been com- mitted by the strong bands of a man than by the delicate fingers of a young female. We will quote, ‘or the benefit. of the reader, the particular part of ‘he oxamination to which we now refer, and which ‘as given in the fifteenth chapter of our narra- 1V@. “Do you think,” Mr. Wardour, the barrister, , had asked of Mr. Meadowbank, “ that #2#*hands if the prisoner were those whict '-°s'their marke pon the neck of the decease¥?’”’ ] should indeed be very'Sorry to say that they were,” was Mr. Meadem?i .k’s answor: “ but as an honest man, 1 am compfilled to admit that they night have been.” ? You muet endeavgr; sir,” Mr. Wardour had ‘one on to say, “to “Ars us a positive opinion. , I rill shape my queatio# in another way. Do you ink that those A licate fingers”—pointing to- wards ‘ho-ptisonerp “could have lefé upon the JOO COUMIUC SS (CO