Penny Blood Serial Fiction — page 46: what you’re looking at

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

THE INQUEST 29 Mr. Gunthorpe had called at the cottage, how they met the two deceased females there, how one of them had introdueed herself as Mademoiselle d’ Alembert, of the Italian Opera, and how she had hkewise mentioned her knowledge of Lord Sax- ondale and Lord Harold Staunton. Here the coroner asked Deveril if there were any reason to suppose that the de- ceased were on their way to Saxondale Castle, but our hero could not hazard a conjecture on the subject, much less speak with any degree of certainty. He then proceeded to describe how himself and Mr. Gunthorpe, aiter leaving the cottage, had heard the pistol-shots and the scream. There was an interval of not more than a few moments between the shots, and it was immediately after the first that the cry was heard, — the inference being that on one female being suddenly shot dead, the other had screamed out and the next moment met her death likewise. Then William Deveril detailed how he had sped to the cottage to give the alarm, and had subsequently rejoined Mr. Gunthorpe to keep watch until the authorities should come. It appeared that they both noticed that the parcel which the maid had carried was missing. : The coroner having heard Deveril’s evidence thought that the jury might dispense with that of Mr. Gunthorpe, as it would merely prove a repetition of the testimony just given. The magistrate who had proceeded to the spot where the murder was committed was the next witness called in, and he deposed to the circumstance of being summoned thither, and finding the bodies in the condition in which they were almost immediately afterward removed to the public-house at Gainsborough. He had subsequently superintended the search which was made about the persons of the deceased, and had seen that their money and their trinkets were all safe about them, so that the murderer or murderers had not rifled the victims of their property, beyond the large parcel which had been proved to be missing. The head constable of Gainsborough was next examined. He deposed that he had visited the scene of the tragedy with some of his men on the preceding night, and that he had returned thither immediately after daybreak in the morning. He had narrowly searched all about to discover, if possible, any trace which might afford a clue to the unravelling of the mystery. He had searched for the marks of footsteps Gomicdoo Ss (FO)