Part 53 (1/2)

”Long pause. Frightful pause. Hours. Whole court holding its breath.

Pause like a chunk of eternity. Silent as that. Empty as that. What the devil was he thinking of? Had he forgotten? Was he awake now to the frightful places he kept getting into and wondering if this was another and where exactly it lay? Appalling pause. Dashed woman somewhere in the court goes off into hysterics and dragged out. He didn't hear a scream of it, that poor baited chap in the box. Just stood there. Grey as a raked-out fire. Face twitching. Awful. I tell you, awful. Nearly went into hysterics myself. Humpo slopping his tongue round his jaws, watching him like a dog watching its dinner being cut up. After about two years, slaps in his tongue and demands, 'Come, sir, for what purpose did you buy this oxalic acid?'

”Sabre gives his first clear, calculated words since he had got up there. I guess he _had_ been pulling himself together to look for a trap. He said very slowly, trying each word, like a chap feeling along on thin ice; he said, 'Effie--asked--me--to--get--it--to--clean--my --straw--hat--for--me--for--Brighton.'

”That Humpo! Very gently, very quietly, like a rescuer pus.h.i.+ng out a ladder to the man on the ice, 'The deceased asked you to get it to clean your straw hat for you for Brighton.' And then like a trap being sprung he snapped and threw Sabre clean off the balance he was getting. 'Then it _was_ obtained for the purpose of your holiday?'

”'Look _here_--' All at sea again, d'you see? And the end was quicker than nothing. Twyning pulls Humpo's coat and points at Sabre's hat, soft hat, on the ledge before him. Humpo nods, delighted.

”'And did she carry out her intention, sir? Did she clean your straw hat for you?'

”Nods.

”'You don't appear to be wearing it?'

”Shakes.

”'Pray, where, then, is this straw hat to clean which you obtained the oxalic acid? Is it at your house?'

”Shakes.

”'Not at your house! Odd. Where, then?'

”'Look here--'

”'Where then?'

”'Look here--'

”'Answer the question, sir. Where is this straw hat?'

”'Look here--' Gulps. 'Look here--' Gulps again. 'Look here. I lost it in the sea at Brighton.'

”Humpo draws in his breath. Stares at him for two solid minutes without speaking. Then say, like one speaking to a ghost, 'You lost it in the sea at Brighton! You lost it in the sea at Brighton!' Has an inspiration. Inspired in h.e.l.l. Turns like a flash to the coroner. 'I have done with this witness, sir.' Sits down. Plump. Court lets go its breath like the four winds round a chimney. Sabre staggers out of the box. Falls across into his seat.

”Too much for me, old man. I bawled out, people in front of me nearly jumping out of their skins with the start, I bawled out, 'Mr. Coroner, I saw the witness at Brighton, and he told me he'd lost his hat in the sea.'

”Buddha, like a talking idol discovering an infidel in his temple, 'Who are you, sir?'

”'I'm a solicitor. I'm Mr. Sabre's solicitor.'

”Buddha to Sabre: 'Have you a solicitor in the court, Sabre?'

”'No! No! Get away! Get out of it! Get away from me!'

”'You have no standing in this court, sir,' says Buddha.

”Awful. Nothing to be done. Sorry I'd spoken. After all, telling me about his hat, what did it prove? Nothing. If anything, easily could be twisted into cunning preparation of his plan beforehand. Useless.

Futile.

”Case went on. Presently Twyning in the box. Last witness--put up to screw down the lid on Sabre's coffin, to polish up the argument before it went to the jury. Stood there with the venom frothing at the corners of his mouth, stood there a man straight out of the loins of Judas Iscariot, stood there making his testimony more d.a.m.ning a thousand times by pretending it was being dragged out of him, reluctant to give away his business companion. Told a positively d.a.m.ning story about meeting Sabre at the station on his departure from leave a day after the girl was sacked. Noticed how strange his manner was; noticed he didn't like being asked about circ.u.mstances of her dismissal; noticed his wife hadn't come to see him off. Yes, thought it odd. Sabre had explained wife had a cold, but saw Mrs. Sabre in Tidborough very next day. Yes, thought the whole thing funny because had frequently seen Sabre and the girl together during Sabre's leave. Any particular occasion? Well, did it really matter? Must he really answer? Yes, notably in the Cloister tea rooms late one evening. Well, yes, had thought their behavior odd, secretive. Sabre's position in the office? Well, was it really necessary to go into that? Well, had to admit Sabre was no longer a member of the firm. Had been suspended during intimacy with the deceased, now dismissed consequent upon this grave development. Had he ever had occasion in the past, in earlier days, to remonstrate with Sabre concerning att.i.tude towards girl? Well, scarcely liked to say so, hated to say so, but certainly there had been such occasions. Yes, had spoken seriously to Sabre about it.

”There ripped across the court as he said that, old man, a woman's voice from the back. 'It's a lie. It's an abominable lie. And you know it's a lie!'