Part 51 (2/2)

”And then Humpo ends, 'A final question, Mr. Bright, and I can release you from the painful, the pitiable ordeal it has been my sad duty to inflict upon you. A final question: 'Have you in your own mind suspicions of the ident.i.ty of this unhappy woman's betrayer?' Old man cannot speak for emotion. Only nods, hands at his breast like a prophet about to tear his raiment. Only nods.

”'Do you see him in this court?'

”Old man hurls out his arms towards Sabre. Shouts, 'There! There!'

”Warm-hearted and excellent Iscariot leaps up and leads him tottering from the box; court seethes and groans with emotion; Humpo wipes his streaming face, Sabre stammers out, 'Look here--Look here--' Case goes on.”

IV

”Next witness. Chemist. Funny little chap with two pairs of spectacles, one on his forehead and one on his nose. From Alton. Remembers distinctly sale of oxalic acid (produced) on Friday before the Sat.u.r.day of the girl's death. Remembers distinctly the purchaser, could identify him. Does he see him in court? Yes, there he is. Points at Sabre.

Anything odd about purchaser's manner? Couldn't say exactly odd.

Remembered he sat down while making the purchase. Ah, sat down, did he?

Was it usual for customers to sit down when making a trifling purchase?

No, not in his shop it wasn't usual. Ah, it struck him then as peculiar, this sitting down? As if perhaps the purchaser was under a strain? No, not for that reason--customers didn't as a rule sit in his shop, because he didn't as a rule have a chair in front of the counter for them to sit on. Court howls with laughter in relief from tension. Humpo says sternly, 'This is no laughing matter, sir. Stand down, sir.' Glares after him as he goes to his seat. Jury glares. Buddha glares. General impression that little chemist has been trying to s.h.i.+eld Sabre.

”Next witness. Chap I'd seen serve the divorce papers on Sabre at Brighton. Solicitor's clerk. Humpo handles him very impressively--also very carefully. Informs him no need to tell the court on what business he went down to Sabre's house on the fatal Sat.u.r.day. 'Sufficient,' says Humpo, 'that it was legal business of a deeply grave nature implicating the deceased and the man Sabre?' Witness agrees. Court nearly chokes itself whispering conjectures. 'And you saw the deceased but not the man Sabre?' Witness agrees again. Goes on, led by Humpo, to state that he served certain papers on the deceased. That she looked noticeably unhappy, frightened, lonely, deserted, when she opened the door to him.

Had great difficulty in obtaining from her the whereabouts of the man Sabre. At first refused to tell. No, didn't actually say she had been told not to tell; but, yes, certainly gave that impression. Extracted from her at last that he was probably at Brighton. Couldn't get anything more definite out of her.

”'Look here--', cries Sabre. 'Look here--look here, she didn't know!'

”'I am not surprised,' says Humpo, 'I am not at all surprised.' Court laughs cynically. 'You have interrupted us a great deal,' says Humpo.

'It is time we saw if you will be equally informative in the witness box.'

”Some one bawls, 'Next witness. Mark Sabre.'

”Court draws an enormous breath and gets itself ready for butchery to make a Tidborough holiday.”

CHAPTER VI

I

Hapgood went on:

”I'm telling you, old man, that after the coroner had done with him, and after this Humpo, with his viprous forefinger, and his retriever tongue, and his perspiration streaming down his face, and Twyning tugging him down by the coat and putting him on the trail afresh--after the coroner, and after this Humpo like that, had been on to him for a bit, Sabre absolutely couldn't speak. He was like he had a constriction in his throat. There was nothing he could say but begin all his sentences with, 'Look here--Look here--'; and nine times out of ten incapable of anything to follow it up with.

”He was distraught. He was speechless. He was clean crazed.

”At the very beginning, with the coroner, he wouldn't use the word 'the deceased.' Insisted on keeping calling her Effie. Coroner kept pulling him up over it, and about the twentieth time pulled him up hard.

”Poor chap threw out his arms like he was throwing the word away and then hammered on the ledge. 'I _won't_ say deceased. I _won't_ call her the deceased. Vile word. Horrible word. Obscene, beastly, hateful word.

I won't call her it. Why should I call her the deceased?'

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