Part 5 (1/2)
”Did you hear nothing later? No loud talking--the noise, or shock of a fall?”
”No, suh.”
The inquisitor now turned to the nurse.
”Now, Miss----”
”Wheeler,” she said, quietly. ”Susan Wheeler.”
”Tell us what _you_ know of this matter, if you please, Miss Wheeler.”
”Miss Burton had been feeling rather better all day yesterday,” said the nurse, ”and as the evening went on she said I could go to bed, as she meant to wait up for her brother.”
”And did you do so?”
”No, sir,” replied the nurse. ”Miss Burton once or twice before had overestimated her strength, and ever since then I have been careful never to be too far away. Instead of going to bed I came into this room, got a book and began to read.”
Osborne coughed behind his hand; the eyes of the a.s.sistant coroner snapped with appreciation. But Bat Scanlon gave his attention to young Burton and his sister; the girl had sat up with sudden, unlooked-for strength, and was regarding the quiet young nurse with dilated eyes. The face of the brother had gone gray; he held to the heavy frame of his sister's chair, and the big trainer noted that he swayed slightly.
”And were you in this room when the man, now dead, was shown into the one across the hall?”
”I was,” replied the nurse, with the calm impersonal manner of her kind.
”I heard the ring and heard what he said to the maid; and, like her, I was surprised to hear that it was Miss Burton's father. However, I paid little attention, but went on with my reading.”
”Did you hear any of the conversation?”
”I heard voices--or to be more correct, I heard a voice. The father did all the talking as far as I could hear; but, as I have said, I was interested in my book.”
”You don't recall any sc.r.a.ps of talk--a detached phrase?--anything?”
The nurse shook her head.
”The only clear impression I have is of the man's laugh; there was something irritating about it, and I wished he'd stop.”
”When the younger Mr. Burton came home--what then?”
”The voices rose suddenly; but the two doors were closed and I could only catch a word here and there. But I did hear young Mr. Burton call his father a rascal and order him to leave the house. Just about then I thought of the maid and went back to the kitchen to tell her she might go to bed. But she had already gone. There were a few things I had to do in the kitchen and I remained there until I had finished them. Then I came back here.”
”Well?”
”They were still talking in the sitting-room--rather loudly, I thought.”
”Did you hear any sound like a struggle?”
The maid stood with her rather thin lips pressed tightly together for a moment; then she said, reluctantly:
”Yes.”
”Anything more?” Dr. Shower's fingers were now twisted in the trimmed beard, eagerly.