coroner's inquest on the body I saw you with, the verdict returned was
of the death of an UNKNOWN man."
"Yes; we hadn't clear proof of identity then," he returned coolly, "but
we had a reexamination of the body before witnesses afterward, and
a verdict according to the facts. That was kept out of the papers
in deference to the feelings of the family and friends. I fancy you
wouldn't have liked to be cross-examined before a stupid jury about what
you were doing with Jack's portmanteau, even if WE were satisfied with
it."
"I should have been glad to testify to the kindness of your brother,
at any risk," returned Randolph stoutly. "You have heard that the
portmanteau was stolen from me, but the amount of money it contained has
been placed in Mr. Dingwall's hands for disposal."
"Its contents were known, and all that's been settled," returned Sir
William, rising. "But," he continued, with his forced laugh, which to
Randolph's fancy masked a certain threatening significance, "I say,
it would have been a beastly business, don't you know, if you HAD been
called upon to produce it again--ha, ha!--eh?"
Returning to the dining room, Randolph found Miss Avondale alone on a
corner of the sofa. She swept her skirts aside as he approached, as an
invitation for him to sit beside her. Still sore from his experience,
he accepted only in the hope that she was about to confide to him her
opinion of this strange story. But, to his chagrin, she looked at him
over her fan with a mischievous tolerance. "You seemed more interested
in the cousin than the brother of your patron."
Once Randolph might have been flattered at this. But her speech
seemed to him only an echo of the general heartlessness. "I found Miss
Eversleigh very sympathetic over the fate of the unfortunate man, whom
nobody else here seems to care for," said Randolph coldly.
"Yes," returned Miss Avondale composedly; "I believe she was a great
friend of Captain Dornton when she was quite a child, and I don't think
she can expect much from Sir William, who is very different from his
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