“The Avenger,” put in Mr. Cannot promptly.
“The perpetrator of these crimes. You further declare that you met him on the very night he committed the murder we are now investigating?”
“I do so declare,” said Mr. Cannot confidently. “Though in the best of health myself,”—he beamed round the court, a now amused, attentive court—“it is my fate to be surrounded by sick people, to have only ailing friends. I have to trouble you with my private affairs, Mr. Coroner, in order to explain why I happened to be out at so undue an hour as one o’clock in the morning—”
Again a titter ran through the court. Even the jury broke into broad smiles.
“Yes,” went on the witness solemnly, “I was with a sick friend—in fact, I may say a dying friend, for since then he has passed away. I will not reveal my exact dwelling-place; you, sir, have it on my notepaper. It is not necessary to reveal it, but you will understand me when I say that in order to come home I had to pass through a portion of the Regent’s Park; and it was there—to be exact, about the middle of Prince’s Terrace—when a very peculiar-looking individual stopped and accosted me.”
Mrs. Bunting’s hand shot up to her breast. A feeling of deadly fear took possession of her.
“I mustn’t faint,” she said to herself hurriedly. “I mustn’t faint! Whatever’s the matter with me?” She took out her bottle of smelling-salts, and gave it a good, long sniff.
“He was a grim, gaunt man, was this stranger, Mr. Coroner, with a very odd-looking face. I should say an educated man—in common parlance, a gentleman. What drew my special attention to him was that he was talking aloud to himself—in fact, he seemed to be repeating poetry. I give you my word, I had no thought of The Avenger, no thought at all. To tell you the truth, I thought this gentleman was a poor escaped lunatic, a man who’d got away from his keeper. The Regent’s Park, sir, as I need hardly tell you, is a most quiet and soothing neighbourhood—”
And then a member of the general public gave a loud guffaw.
“I appeal to you; sir,” the old gentleman suddenly cried out “to protect me from this unseemly levity! I have not come here with any other object than that of doing my duty as a citizen!”