The Dark House at Highgate

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10681, 30 July 1912, Page 2

The Dark House at Highgate

OU? SERIAL.)

CHAPTER V.— Continued. It so happened that I was recalled to London on business that could .not be put off or neglected on the day of the inquest at Polton, and remained sway for twenty-four hours. i bought a county paper at one of the stopping places on the return journey and turned to the report cf the proceedings at the coroner's investigation with eager interest.

"Police Scregant Target:!," ran part of the repoirt, "produced an ivory mounted pistol with chased barre.l, anal deposed that it was' found lying by Mr Bets-worth's window. Coroner: 'Hew far would that he from the deceased. Witness: About eight feet from liis hand. He was lying face downward with his head to the window. Tii'e pistol Mas .not- a toy, but took the same sized cartridge as the ordinary army revolver. Juryman: Then ill? \ tr.ivl might have been inflicted by a.i ordinary arm'y revolver? Witness: Yes, it might." "J rcarched the column for Tony's name. Ah, tlu.ro it was! "Mr Anthony Kettering, law ytudoit, depneod that he had dined with the deceased on the night of the tragedy. Mr Beiisv.-.-rth had then been in his v.iiV.n] health, and spirits. He had known the deceased for about a year| and -iva& not aware that he had any troubles, .monetary or otherwise. Cornier: You do not think ho would have been likely to commit suicide? Witness (emphatically): No, sir. Continuing, witneiß stated that h had quitted the house about niiduiihgt, leaving by the study" window which opened on the .lawn. They had been ■.sitting iii the 'study since di.turier. So far as he knew, Mr Betsworth closed the window after letting him out. He did not remember hearing the window locked." 'My eye travelled farther down the column. To my horror I caught sight cf Eklaile's name. The man had been called' as a witness, after all!

"Mr Elsdaile said he wa« attached to the Biritkh. Embassy at St. Petersburg. At jx'c&e.nt he was spending a frvv weeks with te's father, Sir Wilbrahaiu Esclaile. He was passing Mir Bets-worth's hoi:«e -about midnight on ;ho 16th i:;';t., and noticed there was a light still burning in ono.of tin* ■;rar,s 0:1 the ground floor. . He walked thence to Oranworth Grtin.ee and pa.«v .?d no cue on the road. .

Crrario.r: There -.ras no ono about at

» :tne'vs: Only Mr Ketkring, whom [.met as he came* f.l;fe of ilio gate.-'-'- ' '■p|. l -;t, .F".; Kn?ff lHtf tii:".. i. Hilfl l;i!iy appeared as a witneE.-: i:l crclcr ti. strike at .Aunc, and ] f■:.'.:• r-'-,tlic net was cksing about Tony. CT-IA fTFE VI. WHOSE WAS THE HAND ? Tii:' no.r.spap?r r.pori cf th:> inqucc-t convinced me tb:.t Hl'-dttilo had deliberately done Lis worst to throw t'uepicion upon Tony. He had met Mr Kettering at midnight, and there was not,perhaps, much harm in that admission. Hut F could read between tLs lines of what lolloped. __To quote on e more from the report: "A Joirynuu:: Wr.s there anything unusual in Mr Kettering'/? 11..11" Witness eoemed surprised at the fj cftif-n, but upc . it being repeated stated that Mr Kettering c.semed excited and angry, swearing it -witness —but that was no doubt because 'lit, witness, 'had come upon him suddenly oiifc of deip (shadow. The following morning, as soon as he heard of Mr Betsuorth's death' he went to the house. The body had then be»n moved. Th? pistol produced in court way fihoun him by Sergeant Targett and he recognised it as one that had formerly boon in Mr Kettering's possession.". As the train went epeedil'y forward* toward Anne and me. theatre of these taiigbd affairs 1111 which I had suddenly btrarm? so closely concerned, I felt an ovor increasing anxiety, and read on with tense interastr: "Mr Kc.<tt:riiiig, recalled, was asked if tho pistol jproduood in court was his. He? requested that it anight be handed to him. This was done. , Witness: il gave this pistol to Mr Beitusworth about a year ago. A Juryman: Can you tell us your motive f«sr giving 'deceased tlii-a weapon. Aftt'r a few moments' hesitation tire witness stated that Mr .Betsworth had admired Hie ohas'ng of the banrei. He Ava.s ,a collector of curios of all kinds." ' T read those words "After a lew minutes' hesitation" with a yinkiiiig heart. Tony had said nothing to me

BY DERWENT MIALL. A thor of "Lady Rosalie's Lou'acy," "Bellamy's Warning," "The Strange Case "f Yincent Hume," "In the Wea. "" Etc Etc.

alwut igiving Mr Hotsworth a pistol, merely remarking, vaguely, when questioned as to tho possibility of his possessing 0110, that "of course, ho would have firearms of some kind," ] read on again. A .servant stated that she had never seen, her lv-ste'r handling a weapon of any kind, and c'i:d not know he possessed' one. A groom ■whom he had discharged a ifeav weeks before, had told her that he would <lo Mr IMsworth a mk'hicf, but *ho believed v e had gone abroad. Then J looked hurriedly for the verdict. At the .bottom of the page I came to it. Tho Coroner: Are you agreed upon a verdict ? The 'Foreman (Mr E. Nixon): We find that the deceased met -li:,y death oy a bullet wound, but whether selfinflicted or not there is no evidecne t:> slnw. The Coroner: An open verdict? The Foreman : Yea, sir. The Coroner.—l agree with you." T fokbd the papor with a r.igh a::d looked abfi'.ractedry at tho hurrying landscape, the flifcti.ng telegraph poles, the long aislos of the pine wood.s through whiob the train was rushing. i could not with a mere layman';■ knowledge of tho 'law estimate tin measure of Tony's danger; 'but I .believed him to be in an awkwird portion. Mr Becswovth might 'have killed or he might hbye been shot by the discharged groom ; but those words— "after a few moments' hesitation' —scorned strangely onnn'oits, I'Uggestive as they wore <f falsehood. Would any reportrr dare to write them down, or any editor dare to pais them,, uiii!j:r»s the hositaney had been conspicuous and note:! by every one in. Court. But, on the other hand, it seemed so entirely improbable that Tony would go out to dinner 'with a loaded pistol-in his pocket; the idea wa." quite absurd—or ?o I tried to believe.

One fact, however -7- so at the time I thought— otood out plainly 'in th • report, although it was only •to b: nead, as I havo snid, between the line ; and that ■was the fact that Mr Thomas Esclaile iva« a treacherour cow/ird, n man who came forward and gave evidence with feigned rcliU'tance, when hio only object was .to hurt Anno. Probably Ki< mora's h::ul .vuf-, fered and he imd acquired a taste for intrigue and revenge anfid the <-orruptions of Rus.~im smart society. ■ I lost no t:ni? ; in getting to -Holh .whay t]»? f;a- r :? rcrchvl .... dv§iil> ! rfH^ U) iu, : | v .'.i a.it'ePiltily '..-' prvsfd to find that Anne "was :.ot n full c.f c:".\iil K--..J. had (xnntrd t.i find her. Teny had gmo to London," •in ,1 flurry of trmper, to take counsel with legal friends; ho thought an action fop.libel might lie again;/: thr paper that had dercriihed him a:.- giving evidence in a hesitating manner but lie wanted to moke sure of thir He had told Anne that he gave M Betsworth the pistol, and had ad nvitted that he was angrv when h last parted from the unfortunate oh gentleman, avlio had lectured him i: a majmer ho 'resented. So Esdaile's evidence had hoe; true, in substance; .but was there an; truth In the interpretation he intended to be placed upon it? Whrsway the ha.r.d that h-.d ended II v Bets-worth'*; hio— his own or -u othcr's? With every wirrh in the world to heiieve Tony innocent, couid r.ot, at least, wh:lly extinguish my sVi..pici..ns concerning An.:o's brcL.Ul'.

CHAPTER VII . A DUAL ALLIANCE. So far :s Aiv.:,o herself was concerned, t'lt,:- fact that ..fidalio had done Jirs -woi-yt, and had g"* ct over, seemed to have cleared' the r.lr; ar.d shegave heroaJf u,t> forthwith to my 'holiday -mood, .going out sketching with me <y.i t'ho day ifcllbwing 1117, return, and on many succeeding days. For my part, I -kept any davk ..'TV/pV'on? to myself, as ugly ;uid inconveuicjii '3 umber ::« stored out cf fight In' unused arvrtmicnts 1 cf a houfo. I war old enough to hare framed that the oft-abused policy of "•wifficiont fir thday'" as a too one— that the future seldom turns- out as anticipated; sc I 'wae very weld' satisfied to be, fcthe present, out cf the hubbub cf London-, -spending 'long morning,, vi the f.'hmloiv of a hilltop grove., with miiles' of 'country spread oi:<t 'before me. (}.viinting and talking "rficp" with Anno. (To he Continued.)