Part 28 (2/2)

”Did you see Mr. Tertius write--that?”

”I did not!”

”Have you ever seen this will, this doc.u.ment, before?”

”Never!”

Mr. Halfpenny drew the will towards himself with an impatient movement and began to replace it in the large envelope from which it had been taken.

”In short, you never a.s.sisted at the execution of this doc.u.ment--never saw Jacob Herapath make any will--never witnessed any signature of his to this?” he said testily. ”That's what you really say--what you affirm?”

”Just so,” replied Burchill. ”You apprehend me exactly.”

”Yet you have just heard what Mr. Tertius says! What do you say to that, Mr. Burchill?”

”I say nothing to that, Mr. Halfpenny. I have nothing to do with what Mr. Tertius says. I have answered your questions.”

”Mr. Tertius says that he and you saw Jacob Herapath sign that doc.u.ment, saw each other sign it! What you say now gives Mr. Tertius the direct lie, and----”

”Pardon me, Mr. Halfpenny,” interrupted Burchill quietly. ”Mr. Tertius may be under some strange misapprehension; Mr. Tertius may be suffering from some curious hallucination. What I say is--I did not see the late Jacob Herapath sign that paper; I did not sign it myself; I did not see Mr. Tertius sign it; I have never seen it before!”

Mr. Halfpenny made a little snorting sound, got up from his chair, picked up the envelope which contained the will, walked over to his safe, deposited the envelope in some inner receptacle, came back, produced his snuff-box, took a hearty pinch of its contents, snorted again, and looked hard at Barthorpe.

”I don't see the least use in going on with this!” he said. ”We have heard what Mr. Tertius, as one witness, says; we have heard what Mr.

Frank Burchill, as the other witness, says. Mr. Tertius says that he saw the will executed in Mr. Burchill's presence; Mr. Burchill denies that in the fullest and most unqualified fas.h.i.+on. Why waste more time? We had better separate.”

But Barthorpe laughed, maliciously.

”Scarcely!” he said. ”You brought us here. It was your own proposal. I a.s.sented. And now that we are here, and you have heard--what you have heard--I'm going to have my say. You have gone, all along, Mr.

Halfpenny, on the a.s.sumption that the piece of paper which you have just replaced in your safe is a genuine will. That's what you've said--I believe it's what you say now. I don't say so!”

”What do you say it is, then?” demanded Mr. Halfpenny.

Barthorpe slightly lowered his voice.

”I say it's a forgery!” he answered. ”That, I hope, is plain language. A forgery--from the first word to its last.”

”Oh!” exclaimed Mr. Halfpenny, a little sneeringly. ”And who's the forger, pray?”

”That man, there!” said Barthorpe, suddenly pointing to Mr. Tertius.

”He's the forger! I accuse him to his face of forging every word, every letter of it from the first stroke to the final one. And I'll give you enough evidence to prove it--enough evidence, at any rate, to prove it to any reasonable man or before a judge and jury. Forgery, I tell you!”

Mr. Halfpenny sat down again and became very calm and judicial. And he had at once to restrain Peggie Wynne, who during Barthorpe's last speech had manifested signs of a desire to speak, and had begun to produce a sealed packet from her m.u.f.f.

”Wait, my dear,” said Mr. Halfpenny. ”Do not speak just now--you shall have an opportunity later--leave this to me at present. So you say you can prove that this will is a forgery, Mr. Barthorpe Herapath?” he continued, turning to the other side of the table. ”Very well--since I suggested that you should come here, you shall certainly have the opportunity. But just allow me to ask Mr. Tertius a question--Tertius, you have heard what Mr. Frank Burchill has just said?”

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