'Yes, sir.
I ought to thank you, sir.
But it is on a little matter of business I made so bold as to speak to you now.
I believe you were the magistrate who attended to take down the deposition of a poor man who died in the Infirmary last night.'
'Yes,' replied Mr. Thornton. 'I went and heard some kind of a rambling statement, which the clerk said was of no great use.
I'm afraid he was but a drunken fellow, though there is no doubt he came to his death by violence at last.
One of my mother's servants was engaged to him, I believe, and she is in great distress to-day.
What about him?'
'Why, sir, his death is oddly mixed up with somebody in the house I saw you coming out of just now; it was a Mr. Hale's, I believe.'
'Yes!' said Mr. Thornton, turning sharp round and looking into the inspector's face with sudden interest. 'What about it?'
'Why, sir, it seems to me that I have got a pretty distinct chain of evidence, inculpating a gentleman who was walking with Miss Hale that night at the Outwood station, as the man who struck or pushed Leonards off the platform and so caused his death.
But the young lady denies that she was there at the time.'
'Miss Hale denies she was there!' repeated Mr. Thornton, in an altered voice. 'Tell me, what evening was it?
What time?'
'About six o'clock, on the evening of Thursday, the twenty-sixth.'
They walked on, side by side, in silence for a minute or two.
The inspector was the first to speak.
'You see, sir, there is like to be a coroner's inquest; and I've got a young man who is pretty positive,—at least he was at first;—since he has heard of the young lady's denial, he says he should not like to swear; but still he's pretty positive that he saw Miss Hale at the station, walking about with a gentleman, not five minutes before the time, when one of the porters saw a scuffle, which he set down to some of Leonards' impudence—but which led to the fall which caused his death.
And seeing you come out of the very house, sir, I thought I might make bold to ask if—you see, it's always awkward having to do with cases of disputed identity, and one doesn't like to doubt the word of a respectable young woman unless one has strong proof to the contrary.'
'And she denied having been at the station that evening!' repeated Mr. Thornton, in a low, brooding tone.
'Yes, sir, twice over, as distinct as could be.
I told her I should call again, but seeing you just as I was on my way back from questioning the young man who said it was her, I thought I would ask your advice, both as the magistrate who saw Leonards on his death-bed, and as the gentleman who got me my berth in the force.'
'You were quite right,' said Mr. Thornton. 'Don't take any steps till you have seen me again.'
'The young lady will expect me to call, from what I said.'
'I only want to delay you an hour.
It's now three.
Come to my warehouse at four.'
'Very well, sir!'
And they parted company.
Mr. Thornton hurried to his warehouse, and, sternly forbidding his clerks to allow any one to interrupt him, he went his way to his own private room, and locked the door.
Then he indulged himself in the torture of thinking it all over, and realising every detail.
How could he have lulled himself into the unsuspicious calm in which her tearful image had mirrored itself not two hours before, till he had weakly pitied her and yearned towards her, and forgotten the savage, distrustful jealousy with which the sight of her—and that unknown to him—at such an hour—in such a place—had inspired him!
How could one so pure have stooped from her decorous and noble manner of bearing!
But was it decorous—was it?
He hated himself for the idea that forced itself upon him, just for an instant—no more—and yet, while it was present, thrilled him with its old potency of attraction towards her image.
And then this falsehood—how terrible must be some dread of shame to be revealed—for, after all, the provocation given by such a man as Leonards was, when excited by drinking, might, in all probability, be more than enough to justify any one who came forward to state the circumstances openly and without reserve!
How creeping and deadly that fear which could bow down the truthful Margaret to falsehood!
He could almost pity her.
What would be the end of it?
She could not have considered all she was entering upon; if there was an inquest and the young man came forward.
Suddenly he started up.
There should be no inquest.
He would save Margaret.
He would take the responsibility of preventing the inquest, the issue of which, from the uncertainty of the medical testimony (which he had vaguely heard the night before, from the surgeon in attendance), could be but doubtful; the doctors had discovered an internal disease far advanced, and sure to prove fatal; they had stated that death might have been accelerated by the fall, or by the subsequent drinking and exposure to cold.
If he had but known how Margaret would have become involved in the affair—if he had but foreseen that she would have stained her whiteness by a falsehood, he could have saved her by a word; for the question, of inquest or no inquest, had hung trembling in the balance only the night before.
Miss Hale might love another—was indifferent and contemptuous to him—but he would yet do her faithful acts of service of which she should never know.
He might despise her, but the woman whom he had once loved should be kept from shame; and shame it would be to pledge herself to a lie in a public court, or otherwise to stand and acknowledge her reason for desiring darkness rather than light.
Very gray and stern did Mr. Thornton look, as he passed out through his wondering clerks.
He was away about half an hour; and scarcely less stern did he look when he returned, although his errand had been successful.
He wrote two lines on a slip of paper, put it in an envelope, and sealed it up.