Bess nodded. "But I do not believe they are bad secrets," she said, "the rector is a man with a past--a sad past. Did you know he was a soldier before he became a parson?"
"No," replied Dr. Jim, "and yet I always thought he had a martial air about him. Why did he leave the army?"
"He said he had a call. No!" added Bess hastily seeing the doctor's lip curl, "I do not think he is a hypocrite. He is most devout."
"Humph! I do not believe much in that emotional religion," said Jim with a shake of his head, "a call had he, and left the army for that? I should like to hear a more feasible story. He was a friend of Colonel Carr's?"
"Yes, he was the only person the Colonel saw, and he used to go very often to 'The Pines.' But I do not think he did Colonel Carr much good."
"On the contrary it is probable that the Colonel did a weak man like that a good deal of harm," Herrick stopped; then said suddenly. "He knows something about this murder?"
"What makes you think so?" said Bess startled.
"Well! He did not come to the inquest, and seeing that he was the parson of the parish and a great friend of the dead man I think that strange myself. Also when I met him in the morning after the murder he talked nonsense, sheer nonsense, and was in a sort of hysterical condition."
"That might have been because of the shock," replied Bess thoughtfully, "I know one thing at least about Mr. Corn. He will not look upon a corpse."
"Why not?"