“Was there—what kind of evidence was adduced?” he began. “Did—?”
“Here!” interrupted Ellis harshly. “What the devil are you beating ’round the bush for? Why don’t you come across with it plain? What d’you want to know?”
The local Sergeant flushed angrily, stung to the quick by the rough incivility of his companion’s speech and the cold, contemptuous stare that accompanied it, but sheer bodily fear of the ex-pugilist silenced the retort that sprang to his lips, and he sank back in the chair from which he had half arisen.
“Oh—nothing,” he mumbled thickly. “I thought p’r’aps—”
“Yes,” broke in Benton savagely. “I know what you thought, and I’ll tell you this much, Mr. ‘B——’ Churchill.... If I hadn’t given my evidence mighty darned careful, you’d have been on the flypaper, properly, both feet. Your name cropped up during the inquests—one of the jury-men gently inquiring ‘why you weren’t present, as p’r’aps you might have been able to throw some light on one or two obscure points in the inquiry.’ But, luckily for you, none of the others took his suggestion up.” He paused and, emitting a short, ugly laugh, continued: “I’m under ‘open’ arrest, an’ I’ve got to go back with Inspector Purvis an’ face a formal charge of manslaughter—same as in that Cashell business. We should worry, anyway. What gets my goat is you thinkin’ you were smart enough to cover up your trail in a little, one-horse ‘dorp’ like this. D’you figure you could pull off anything like that, with all these old geezers of women around? What? I don’t think. It’s a good job for you none o’ them happened to be called as witnesses. All those who gave evidence were men, an’ most of ’em friends o’ yours, at that. See here; look! I couldn’t exactly say how much you did know, but I can make a pretty good guess. There was a lot you couldn’t help but tumble to, which puts this case entirely outside the ordinary. Anyway, it doesn’t look as if you’d had much regard for your own nest.”
He remained silent for a space then, his voice shaking ever so little:
“I’ve got no use for you, Churchill. I’m not stuck on you one little bit ... an’ I guess that feeling is reciprocated, for I can see the mark of my fist on your blooming dial right to this very minute. Mind you, though, I’m not blaming you in any way for all that’s happened. That’s out of the question—an’ it wouldn’t be logical, or fair. I’m not moralizing, either, for I reckon there’s too many ‘glass-with-care’ labels on both of us to start slingin’ rocks at each other—but all the same ... there’s something about this business I can’t forget ... an’ you know d—n well what that something is!”
And, opening the door, he strode out heavily, and banged it behind him.
Ellis, duly tried on the formal charge that had been laid against him, was honorably acquitted of all blame, and returned to duty. Later receiving the grant for his well-earned reward—half of which he, with the utmost difficulty, prevailed upon Musgrave to accept—he obtained ten days’ leave and, dragging the latter from his all-absorbing practise for that period, the two departed away up to the Kananaskis Falls on a fishing trip. The doctor insisted on paying all expenses in connection with this outing, and presented his companion with a magnificent English green-heart fly rod, which Ellis had often eyed longingly.
Both men, possessing in a great degree the same morose, taciturn characteristics, they derived a certain grim pleasure in each other’s company and, loving and understanding the sport as only good fishermen can, it is needless to say that they had extraordinarily heavy catches and, in their silent, undemonstrative way, enjoyed themselves hugely.