Adventure, June 1911 — page 184: what you’re looking at

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

370 The Sergeant showed conclusively that no one had descended from the porch roof, and spoke of the woman’s foot-prints in the gravel path from the corner of the porch to the main entrance. He then took up our trip to London, explaining that the China- men had no doubt been uncertain whether I had the stone or had turned it over to him, and to avoid taking chances had decoyed us both. He referred to my offers of assistance in unraveling the case, and my failure to mention to him my suspicions regarding the Oriental perfume, or my taking of the cake of soap from the green room. He de- scribed Li Min’s attempt to steal my satchel. Finally he spoke of the finding of the emer- ald in the cake of soap in my satchel and the weapon in the drawer of the dresser in my room. I arose to be examined with a sinking heart. I knew that before now in the his- tory of criminal trials many an innocent man had gone protesting to the gallows, and already I felt sure that, unless Miss Temple’s testimony was decidedly convincing, I was certain of being held for trial as either an accomplice or the principal in Robert Ash- ton’s murder. I told my story without any hitch or hesi- tation. If my reasons for taking the cake of soap from Ashton’s room seemed weak, I could only inform the Magistrate that they were, nevertheless, the ones which had actu- ated me. If my failure to speak of the mat- ter to McQuade seemed suspicious, I could only say in reply that I had not thought it of sufficient importance to mention to him. I testified that I had last seen Miss Temple, on that fatal night, when she bade me good- _ night in the lower hall, and that I did not see her again until the next morning»when she came into the hall in answer to my cries. I felt I had made a favorable im- pression, but I realized that the stern facts brought out by McQuade would need more. than .a favorable impression to overcome them. At the conclusion of my testimony I re- quested. that Li Min be called to corroborate my testimony as to the removal of the cake of soap from the green room. The China- | man was already in the witness-room, but: when brought into court maintained a stolid silence, and even the most strenuous efforts of an interpreter failed to elicit from him a single syllable. It was at this point that the court adjourned for luncheon. Adventure CHAPTER XIV MISS TEMPLE’S TESTIMONY I REALIZED fully that the testimony of the morning had been heavily against me, but I would have gladly endured that and much more, could I have spared Muriel the coming ordeal. That she had evidence of importance to put before the court I well knew, yet whom could it possibly involve but herself? The Chinaman she ceuld have no possible motive for screening, and her father:clearly could not have committed the murder. The more I thought, the more I realized that logic pointed its inexorable finger at her, and the more ‘strongly did the love I felt for her tell me the impossibility of such a conclusion. I can not express the tenderness, the love, with which this girl, in our few brief meet- ings, had inspired me—I longed to take her into my arms and comfort her, and tell her that the whole thing was but a wretched, miserable dream. Yet it needed but a glance at the stone walls about me, the steel grating of my door, and the untasted food which stood upon the cot at my side, to as- sure me that this was indeed no seedy but a very cold and stern reality. » It was close on to two o lock. when I was once more taken back to the court-room. Miss ‘Temple was nowhere to be seen. Major Temple sat in his former seat, pale and still. Presently there was a stir in the room and I saw Muriel entéring, with Ser>. geant McQuade at her side arid In¥pector Burns following them. My heart sank.as I saw how terribly pale and distressed she looked and with what shrinking she met the gaze of the many eyes now focused upon her. Her own sought the face of her father. He half rose, as though to speak, then sank back into his seat and covered his eyes with his hand. She did not see - me at all—probably because = was ‘so close to her. The Magistrate rapped upon the ioe to still the rising buzz of conversation among the spectators, and began his examination, quickly carrying it up through my conver- sation with Miss Temple the evening before the murder. “What did you do then?” “T retired to myroom, dismissed my maid, a threw myself fully dressed upon the ed.’ COmmiCclooks (©