Then, upon a remark from Lionel, they discussed the career of this miserable wretch. Lionel did not hesitate to relate the full particulars of that scene at the Ashford Club, which our readers will remember.
The detective thereupon added some other curious details of the downward career of Gibbs, carefully guarding himself in respect to Richard Tallant’s connection with some of the transactions which he narrated. If his lordship had not been “a sort of relation” of the dead man, he would have made his stories more piquant with the introduction of some of the financier’s schemes.
There was quite a cloud of smoke amongst the beautiful carved leather work of the billiard-room ceiling, before the Earl and his friends thought it necessary to adjourn. Their closing conversation turned upon the great success of Arthur Phillips as an artist; and Earl Verner complimented him more particularly upon his taste in selecting a wife. Arthur deftly changed the subject, and Lionel readily caught at the opportunity to urge his brother to take no steps against that silly policeman at Brazencrook; but Earl Verner would make no promise at all about it.
“We will talk of that to-morrow,” he said.
They sat for an hour over the fire, Lionel, Arthur, and Mr. Bales, after his lordship had gone to bed; Mr. Bales telling the two gentlemen all he knew about Paul Somerton. Lionel said he wished the young fellow had gone to India; he would like to make his acquaintance and apologise to him for a little act of discourtesy which lay heavily on his mind. It appeared from what the detective said, that Williamson had the credit at his club of having eloped with another man’s wife, and his oldest friends were his severest critics. It was quite a joke at the club, Williamson’s philanthropy, now: some of the fellows put the affair down to constitutional weakness. He had done something of the sort, they said, when he was a very young fellow. That he was a fool was the worst thing they said of him nevertheless, and some of them pitied him, wondered at his silly infatuation, and was glad to hear that the husband had made no objection to his wife’s fresh choice. But they missed the barrister’s quiet benevolent face; some of them would miss the sovereigns that he lent so readily; and the motion of the clerical gentleman who called himself a professor of Hebrew mythology, that his name be expunged from the list of members of the club, was negatived unanimously.
Lionel could have sat all night listening to Bales telling these stories of Paul and Williamson, Tallant and Dibble, and so could Arthur Phillips, had that pretty wife of his not been waiting for him.
“Ah, I see you want to be off,” said Lionel at length: “good-night, old boy. Bales and I have no magnetic attraction to induce us to lay down our cigars. Ah, well, never mind, Bales, we can’t all expect to be Arthur Phillipses. Good-night, dear old boy. Bales and I will smoke just one more cigar.”
But old Morris, who would persist in sitting up until the Captain was ready to retire, looked at his watch and found that it was four o’clock by the time he had put the gas out and gone to bed,—shuddering with superstitious fear as he passed the room where the body of Richard Tallant was lying.
CHAPTER XVIII.
THE BEGINNING OF THE END.
How utterly friendless this dead man appeared to be. Nobody came to Montem Castle to weep over the bier; no man or woman came to look their last upon the white calm face. Two solicitors had been down to make inquiries concerning the state of his affairs. One of them represented the Meter Iron Works; the other was the solicitor to a banking company. Neither of them cared to go up that great oak staircase of Montem Castle into the room where the dead one lay. Their business was of a professional character. Lord Verner tried to avoid seeing them. Lionel Hammerton represented his brother, and endeavoured to answer the questions which the legal gentlemen asked; but they fought very hard for an interview with Lord Verner. They were anxious to learn if there was any chance of his lordship contributing funds towards putting his brother-in-law’s affairs in a solvent condition. They regretted that the extraordinary state of Mr. Tallant’s affairs would not allow of their delaying their visit to Montem Castle until the funeral was over. Lord Verner winced at this reference to the murdered man as his brother-in-law, and promised to consider the application when the gentlemen were enabled to furnish a complete balance-sheet of the deceased’s financial position.