The Old Man in the Corner eBook

Baroness Emma Orczy
This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 258 pages of information about The Old Man in the Corner.

The Old Man in the Corner eBook

Baroness Emma Orczy
This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 258 pages of information about The Old Man in the Corner.

“Granting that Mr. Ireland had gone into his office at ten minutes to ten o’clock at night for the purpose of extracting L5000 worth of notes and gold from the bank safe, whilst giving the theft the appearance of a night burglary; granting that he was disturbed in his nefarious project by his wife, who, failing to persuade him to make restitution, took his side boldly, and very clumsily attempted to rescue him out of his difficult position—­why should he, at nine o’clock the following morning, fall in a dead faint and get cerebral congestion at sight of a defalcation he knew had occurred?  One might simulate a fainting fit, but no one can assume a high temperature and a congestion, which the most ordinary practitioner who happened to be called in would soon see were non-existent.

“Mr. Ireland, according to James Fairbairn’s evidence, must have gone out soon after the theft, come in again with his son an hour and a half later, talked to him, gone quietly to bed, and waited for nine hours before he fell ill at sight of his own crime.  It was not logical, you will admit.  Unfortunately, the poor man himself was unable to give any explanation of the night’s tragic adventures.

“He was still very weak, and though under strong suspicion, he was left, by the doctor’s orders, in absolute ignorance of the heavy charges which were gradually accumulating against him.  He had made many anxious inquiries from all those who had access to his bedside as to the result of the investigation, and the probable speedy capture of the burglars, but every one had strict orders to inform him merely that the police so far had no clue of any kind.

“You will admit, as every one did, that there was something very pathetic about the unfortunate man’s position, so helpless to defend himself, if defence there was, against so much overwhelming evidence.  That is why I think public sympathy remained with him.  Still, it was terrible to think of his wife presumably knowing him to be guilty, and anxiously waiting whilst dreading the moment when, restored to health, he would have to face the doubts, the suspicions, probably the open accusations, which were fast rising up around him.”

CHAPTER XX

AN ALIBI

“It was close on six weeks before the doctor at last allowed his patient to attend to the grave business which had prostrated him for so long.

“In the meantime, among the many people who directly or indirectly were made to suffer in this mysterious affair, no one, I think, was more pitied, and more genuinely sympathised with, than Robert Ireland, the manager’s eldest son.

“You remember that he had been clerk in the bank?  Well, naturally, the moment suspicion began to fasten on his father his position in the business became untenable.  I think every one was very kind to him.  Mr. Sutherland French, who was made acting manager ’during Mr. Lewis Ireland’s regrettable absence,’ did everything in his power to show his goodwill and sympathy to the young man, but I don’t think that he or any one else was much astonished when, after Mrs. Ireland’s extraordinary attitude in the case had become public property, he quietly intimated to the acting manager that he had determined to sever his connection with the bank.

Copyrights
Project Gutenberg
The Old Man in the Corner from Project Gutenberg. Public domain.