It was even as the man had said—turned down and marked at Wandsborough Road station.
“Did you draw anyone else’s attention to this circumstance?”
“Yes, sir. One of the other waiters, Tom Short.”
“Where is he?”
“He’s been dead these six or eight months.”
“And you are ready to swear that the prisoner is the gentleman who left this with you?”
“Yes, sir.”
Mr Benham sat down, and Mr Windgate rose to cross-examine. He seemed determined to make up for having hitherto been debarred his privilege in that line, for he assailed the witness in the most pitiless manner. But it was of no use. The man’s evidence was straightforward enough, and he stuck to it, especially the identity—as to which he was calm certainty itself. All present felt that its burden was of damning import.
The next to enter the box was Johnston, the ex-Cranston gardener. His testimony went to show that the prisoner was identical with Robert Durnford, so-called, the mysterious guest at “The Silver Fleece Inn.” He swore positively to having recognised his late master in the disguised stranger, when the latter had passed him in the street at Battisford. He further deposed to having taken subsequent opportunities of observing the pseudo-Durnford unknown to the subject of his observation, and was quite satisfied on the point of the identity between the two. Things began to look dark for the prisoner, but they were destined to look darker still.
When he had satisfied himself as to the identity of the accused with the stranger staying at “The Silver Fleece” in Battisford—he said—suspicion first entered his mind, and it grew stronger and stronger. Nor was it difficult to account for the fact that the one should be in the neighbourhood disguised at the very time the other met his death; the more so as the prisoner would be the gainer by his brother’s death, and in fact was the gainer. From that time, he had laid himself out to watch the prisoner—and once had overheard some fragments of the tatter’s conversation with Dr Ingelow, which had more than ever convinced him of the truth of his suspicions. Then Devine had begun to let fall hints as if he knew something about the matter, and, finally, the two of them had concluded to wait upon Mr Forsyth, one of the county justices, and get his advice. In the result each made a statement.