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Updated: May 15, 2025
"Very clearly put, my dear much obliged to you," said Mr. Pawle. "Now, I suppose you were at the Ellingham Arms when this Mr. Ashton came there?" "Oh, yes, sir; I live there!" "To be sure! Now, what sort of man was he in appearance?" "A tall, big gentleman, sir, with a beard, going a little grey. He was wearing a blue serge suit." Mr. Pawle nodded at Viner. "Seems like our man," he remarked.
Pray, did he never show you anything of a valuable nature which he carried in his pocketbook?" The barrister's keen eyes suddenly lighted up with recollection. "Yes!" he exclaimed. "Now you come to suggest it, he did! A diamond!" "Ah!" said Mr. Pawle. "So you saw that!" "Yes, I saw it," assented Mr. Perkwite.
It was very clear to Viner that some train of thought had been aroused in him and that he was closely pursuing it. He fixed his gaze at last on the old lawyer. "Mr. Pawle," he said quietly, "have you any proof undoubted proof that Mr. Ashton did possess papers relating to my long-missing uncle?" "Yes," answered Mr. Pawle, "I have!"
"There is a daughter, and her name is Avice a name borne by a good many women of the Cave-Gray family," answered Mr. Pawle with a significant glance at his fellow-practitioner. "But let me go on: Wickham left his daughter, her mother being dead, in Ashton's guardianship. She was then about six years of age. Ashton sent her to school here in England.
When Viner, half an hour later, walked into the waiting-room at Crawle, Pawle and Rattenbury's, he was aware of a modestly attired young woman, evidently, from her dress and appearance, a country girl, who sat shyly turning over the pages of an illustrated paper.
There were advertisements sent out all over the world Mr. Marcherson told me that they were translated into I don't know how many foreign languages and published in every quarter of the globe asking for news of him and stating that his father was dead. That was done for some time." "With no result?" asked Mr. Pawle.
The puzzled expression which Viner had noted in Lord Ellingham's boyish face when they entered the room grew more and more marked as Mr. Pawle proceeded, and he turned on the old lawyer at the end with a stare of amazement. "You really think that!" he exclaimed. "I shall be very much surprised if I'm not right!" declared Mr. Pawle. "But what papers?" asked Lord Ellingham.
"If it's anything that will help to solve the mystery of this murder, for there is a mystery, I shall be very glad to hear it." Fosdick and Stephens glanced at each other and then at Viner, who sat a little in Mr. Pawle's rear. "Partner of yours?" asked Fosdick. "Not at all! This gentleman," replied Mr. Pawle, "is Mr. Viner. It was he who found Ashton's dead body. They were neighbours."
But as you say, it is certainly a very curious thing that we should find the first man evidently in touch with Lord Ellingham considering our recent discoveries. But what are you going to do?" "Going in here," affirmed Mr. Pawle, "to the fountain-head. We may get to know something. Have you a card?" The footman who took the cards looked doubtfully at them and their presenters.
And we saw Ashton for just a few minutes, down in the City." "Ah!" exclaimed Mr. Pawle. "You have seen him, then! Did anything happen?" "You mean relating to what he'd told us?" said Fosdick. "Well, no more than I asked him sort of jokingly, how the secret was. And he said it was just about to come out, and we must watch the papers." "There was a remark he made," observed Stephens.
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