Ah! my dear Wilfrid, he sighed. It is really terrible too terrible.
This is not the moment to discuss the affair. We must act, I urged, and together we got over a gate and turned into a grass field which was a shorter cut to the wood.
This way, my friend directed. The spot is up at that corner, pointing away up the hill, where the wood loomed darkly against the sky.
Truth to tell, I shared Erics fear that Harris or one of his sons might be lurking in the neighbourhood, yet I said nothing. My only thought was for the woman who had been my friend, my playmate, the dainty love of my early youth. She might be all that her enemies said of her, yet for her mothers sake, for Jacks sake, I meant if possible to save her.
Keeping in the shadow of the hedgerows and walls, I allowed my companion to direct my footsteps. With his long practice in those boundless forests of eternal night in Equatorial Africa, he had learnt how to creep along with scarce a sound. He motioned to me to be silent, and presently we crossed the big turnip field and entered the thicket at the point where he had entered it that afternoon.
This will destroy my track, he whispered. Tread always on your toes.
His example I followed, malting my way through the brambles and undergrowth until, of a sudden, we came out into a small open space beneath some big trees on the edge of the wood itself, and there upon the ground I saw something lying. In the darkness I could not distinguish what it was, but Eric advanced slowly, and bending, turned to me, saying in a low whisper,
Here it is. But how can we search him without a light? If we strike a match it can be seen by anyone coming up the hill.
I knelt at his side and ran my hands over the cold corpse. Ah! it was a gruesome moment. My eager fingers unbuttoned his jacket that was wet and clammy with blood, and quickly I put my fingers in his inner pocket. Yes! there were papers there. Quick as thought I thrust them into my own pocket, and then in the darkness searched his clothes thoroughly. In his hip-pocket I felt a small leather wallet or card-case, and in his left-hand trousers pocket was a pen-knife, both of which I secured; while Eric, making another search of his waistcoat, discovered an inner pocket which contained some paper or other, which he handed to me.
To search a dead man in the darkness is not the easiest thing, and even though we had gone through his pockets, yet I was not satisfied.
My friend urged me to creep away and go back to meet Booth, but I hesitated. I wanted a light in order to satisfy myself thoroughly that I had overlooked nothing, and I told him so.
In a moment he threw off his jacket, and covering the prostrate figure with it, said, Strike a match underneath. This will hide the light.
I did so, and the fickle flame from the wax vesta fell upon the hard white face, a face that in death bore a wild, desperate look that was truly horrifying.
The pockets were, however, my chief concern, and, striking match after match, I made a methodical examination, finding a screwed-up piece of paper, the receipt for a registered letter. In feeling within his vest my hand touched something hard beneath his shirt.
I felt again. Yes, there was something next his skin. Therefore I carefully opened his saturated shirt, and placing my hand within, drew out something about the size of a penny, a kind of medallion that he wore suspended around his neck by a fine gold chain.
A quick twist broke the latter, and I secured both medallion and chain.
Make haste! cried my companion in quick alarm. Lights are coming up the hill! Its Richardss dog-cart with Booth. Lets fly. We must get back to the road, or they may suspect.
A moment! I cried. Let me adjust his clothes, and with eager, nervous fingers I re-buttoned the dead mans clothing, and carefully rearranged the body as we had found it.
Those moments were exciting ones, for already the trap was coming on at a brisk pace, the lights shining clear along the road, and we yet had two large fields to cross before reaching the point where it was necessary to meet the doctor and constable.
Eric slipped on his coat, and we scrambled through the undergrowth by the way we had come, and then under the shadow of the wall, tore on as quickly as our legs would carry us.
Just, however, as we got out of the turnip field, my companion turned to me, and gasped,
Look there to the left! Theres someone over in that clump of bushes there. By Heaven! old fellow, weve been seen!
Are you sure? I cried hoarsely, glancing at the same moment in the direction he had indicated.
Certain. I saw the figure draw back as we passed. My eyes dont deceive me in the dark Im used to it.
Then were betrayed! I said breathlessly.
Yes. Thats quite certain, was his hard response. Weve been watched just as I feared.
Chapter Four.
Is Astounding
To halt would be to reveal our visit to the wood to the village constable, therefore we sprang across a stile, skirted the grass land, keeping beneath the high hawthorn hedge, and emerging into the roadway just as the lights of the gig came around the bend.
Halloa! doctor! I shouted, as he approached with the constable at his side, and the groom behind.
Whos that? he inquired, peering into the darkness.
Hughes Wilfrid Hughes, I answered, and a moment later he pulled up, and both Eric and I greeted him.
We can go across the fields from here, Booth remarked. Therefore they all three descended, and leaving the groom with the horse, we allowed ourselves to be guided by the constable to the spot where the body was lying.
I hope, gentlemen, you havent been waitin long, said Booth, addressing us, as he lit the hurricane lamp he had brought.
Not at all, declared Eric, quite unconcernedly, but were naturally very anxious to ascertain who the poor fellow is.
From what Booth says, it seems a clear case of murder, remarked Richards, the hard-working country practitioner.
A mystery, evidently, said Domville. Has no weapon been found?
We havent searched yet, sir, the constable replied. Well have to wait till daylight.
And so, our way lit by the officers lantern, we went on past the dump of bushes where my friend declared that some person was in hiding. Both of us glanced across eagerly, but all was quiet not a leaf stirred.
Who was concealed there, I wondered? I knew Eric Domville too well to doubt that his practised eye had been deceived.
I longed to go forward and search, but that was entirely out of the question. Some unknown person had witnessed our visit to the body. Our actions had been watched.
Presently, when we reached the spot, and the light shone upon the prostrate man, I was enabled to obtain my first clear sight of him.
The face, white and waxen in death, bore a hard, terrible look in the eyes, an expression that caused me to shudder. It was the look of one who shrank in awe and horror from the great Unknown. His clothes, a suit of rough, cheap dark tweed, the vest of which bore a large dark stain, showed evidence of hard wear, frayed at the elbows and cuffs, his linen was not over clean, and his boots bore traces of long tramping.
His cloth golf-cap had fallen off, and lay near, disclosing that his close-cropped dark hair was somewhat curly, while his face was clean-shaven, and around his collar was a dark blue cravat tied in a bow.
I wonder who he is? remarked Booth, as he bent down, and, opening his vest, disclosed the small shot-wound.