The Middle Temple Murder eBook

J. S. Fletcher
This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 295 pages of information about The Middle Temple Murder.

The Middle Temple Murder eBook

J. S. Fletcher
This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 295 pages of information about The Middle Temple Murder.

“That is what I know, Mr. Elphick, and if I choose, all the world shall know it tomorrow morning!” he said firmly.  “Ronald Breton is the son of the murdered man, and Ronald Breton is engaged to be married to the daughter of the man charged with the murder.  Do you hear that?  It is not matter of suspicion, or of idea, or of conjecture, it is fact—­fact!”

Mr. Elphick slowly turned his face to Miss Baylis.  He gasped out a few words.

“You—­did—­not—­tell—­me—­this!”

Then Spargo, turning to the woman, saw that she, too, was white to the lips and as frightened as the man.

“I—­didn’t know!” she muttered.  “He didn’t tell me.  He only told me this morning what—­what I’ve told you.”

Spargo picked up his hat.

“Good-night, Mr. Elphick,” he said.

But before he could reach the door the old barrister had leapt from his chair and seized him with trembling hands.  Spargo turned and looked at him.  He knew then that for some reason or other he had given Mr. Septimus Elphick a thoroughly bad fright.

“Well?” he growled.

“My dear young gentleman!” implored Mr. Elphick.  “Don’t go!  I’ll—­I’ll do anything for you if you won’t go away to print that.  I’ll—­I’ll give you a thousand pounds!”

Spargo shook him off.

“That’s enough!” he snarled.  “Now, I am off!  What, you’d try to bribe me?”

Mr. Elphick wrung his hands.

“I didn’t mean that—­indeed I didn’t!” he almost wailed.  “I—­I don’t know what I meant.  Stay, young gentleman, stay a little, and let us—­let us talk.  Let me have a word with you—­as many words as you please.  I implore you!”

Spargo made a fine pretence of hesitation.

“If I stay,” he said, at last, “it will only be on the strict condition that you answer—­and answer truly—­whatever questions I like to ask you.  Otherwise——­”

He made another move to the door, and again Mr. Elphick laid beseeching hands on him.

“Stay!” he said.  “I’ll answer anything you like!”

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

OF PROVED IDENTITY

Spargo sat down again in the chair which he had just left, and looked at the two people upon whom his startling announcement had produced such a curious effect.  And he recognized as he looked at them that, while they were both frightened, they were frightened in different ways.  Miss Baylis had already recovered her composure; she now sat sombre and stern as ever, returning Spargo’s look with something of indifferent defiance; he thought he could see that in her mind a certain fear was battling with a certain amount of wonder that he had discovered the secret.  It seemed to him that so far as she was concerned the secret had come to an end; it was as if she said in so many words that now the secret was out he might do his worst.

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Project Gutenberg
The Middle Temple Murder from Project Gutenberg. Public domain.