There followed the important testimony of Mr. Leopold Hessel. The banker repeated the account of his last walk with his friend that he had given to Poole. He said nothing, and was not asked, about the subject of the conversation that had so engrossed them, but otherwise Poole could notice no discrepancy. Hessel repeated his assertion that he did not see how a blow could have been struck without his being aware of it, though he admitted that he could not be absolutely positive. Still, there had been a number of other witnesses present and none of them had given any signs of having seen violence used.
“I did!” exclaimed the same shrill voice from the back of the room. “I told you at the time that I saw—a murderous attack—a gang of . . .”
“Order, there,” roared the Coroner’s Officer.
“Remove that person,” exclaimed the Coroner himself sharply.
The quaint little figure was led from the room by a large policeman, protesting loudly.
Proceeding, Mr. Hessel told of how his friend had pulled himself together, seemed to be really quite recovered, how they walked on slowly, arm-in-arm, and then of the sudden collapse and, as was now known, almost instantaneous death of Sir Garth.
“And he said nothing before he died?” asked the Coroner.
“Nothing. He seemed to gasp—more than once, as if he was choking. And then he collapsed, almost pulling me down with him. He never spoke.”
Mr. Hessel himself spoke in a quiet, restrained voice, but it was evident that he was deeply affected.
“You are—you were Sir Garth’s closest friend, were you not, Mr. Hessel?”