early on the following morning the death-bell ringing out from the church at dallory proclaimed to those who heard it that edmund north had passed to his rest. he had never recovered consciousness, and died some thirty-six hours after the attack.
amongst those who did not hear it was oliver rane. the doctor had been called out at daybreak to a country patient in an opposite direction, returning between eight and nine o'clock.
he sat at breakfast in the dining-room, unconscious of the morning's calamity. the table stood in front of the large bay-window.
"she has done it too much--stupid thing!" exclaimed dr. rane, cutting a slice of ham in two and apostrophizing his unconscious servant. "yesterday it was hardly warmed through. just like them!--make a complaint, and they rush to the other extreme. i wonder how things are going on there this morning?"
he glanced up towards the distant quarter where the hall was situated, for his query had reference to edmund north; and this gave him the opportunity of seeing something else: a woman stepping out of mrs. cumberland's dining-room. she was getting on for forty, tall as a may-pole, with inquisitive green eyes, sallow cheeks, remarkably thin, as if she had lost her teeth, and a bunch of black ringlets on either side of her face. she wore the white apron and cap of a servant, but looked one of a superior class. emerging from the opposite window, she stepped across the wire fence and approached dr. rane.
"what does jelly want now?" he mentally asked.
a curious name, no doubt, but it was hers. fanny jelly. when mrs. cumberland had engaged her as upper maid, she decided to call her by the latter name, fanny being her own.
jelly entered without ceremony--she was not given to observing much at the best of times. she had come to say that he need not provide anything for dinner; her mistress meant to send him in a fowl--if he would accept it.
"with pleasure, tell her," said dr. rane. "how is my mother this morning, jelly?"
"she has had a good night, and is pretty tolerable," replied jelly, giving a backward fling to her flying cap-strings. "the foreign letters have come in; two for her, one for miss adair."
dr. rane, not particularly interested in the said foreign letters, went on with his breakfast. jelly, with characteristic composure, stood at ease just inside the window watching the process.
"that ham is dried up to fiddle-strings," she suddenly said.
"yes. phillis has done it too much."
"and i should like to have the doing of her!" spoke jelly in wrathful tones. "it is a sin to spoil good food."
"so it is," said dr. rane.
"so that poor young man's gone!" she resumed, as he cracked an egg.
the doctor lifted his head quickly. "what young man?"
"edmund north. he died at half-past seven this morning."
"who says so?" cried dr. rane, a startled look crossing his face.
"the milkman told me: he heard the passing-bell toll out. you needn't be surprised, sir: there has been no hope from the first."
"but there has been hope," disputed the doctor. "there was hope yesterday at midday, there was hope last night. i don't believe he is dead."
"well, sir, then you must disbelieve it," equably answered jelly; but she glanced keenly at him from her green eyes. "edmund north is as certainly dead as that i stand here."
he seemed strangely moved at the tidings: a quiver stirred his lips, the colour in his face faded to whiteness. jelly, having looked as much as she chose, turned to depart.
"then we may send in the fowl, sir?"
"yes, yes."
he watched her dreamily as she crossed the low fence and disappeared within her proper domains; he pushed the neglected ham from him, he turned sick at the lightly done egg, of which the shell had just been broken. what, though he preferred eggs lightly done in calm times? calm times were not these. the news did indeed trouble him in no measured degree: it was so sad for a man in the prime of early life to be cut off thus. edmund north was only a year or two older than himself: two days ago he had been as full of health and life, deep in the plans and projects of this world, thinking little of the next. sad? it was horrible. and dr. rane's breakfast was spoiled for that day.
he got up to walk the room restlessly: he looked at himself in the glass; possibly to see how the news might have affected his features; in all he did there was a hurried, confused sort of motion, betraying that the mind must be in a state of perturbation. by-and-by he snatched up his hat, and went forth, taking the direction of the hall.
"i ought to call. it will look well for me to call. it is a civility i owe them," he kept repeating at intervals, as he strode along. just as though he thought in his inmost heart he ought not to call, and were seeking arguments to excuse himself from doing so.
how eager he was to be there and see and hear all that was transpiring, he alone knew. no power could have stopped him, whether to go were suitable or unsuitable; for he had a strong will. he did not take the lane this time, but went straight along the high-road, turning in at the iron gates, and up the chestnut avenue. the tender green of the trees was beautiful: birds sang; the blue sky flickered through the waving leaves. winding on, dr. rane met thomas hepburn, the undertaker and carpenter: a sickly looking but intelligent and respectable man.
"is it you, hepburn?"
"yes, sir; i've been in to take the orders. what an awful thing it is!" he continued in a low tone, glancing round at the closed windows, as if fearful they might detect what he was saying. "the scoundrel who wrote that letter ought to be tried for murder when they discover him. and they are safe to do that, sooner or later."
"the writer could have done no great harm but for edmund north's allowing himself to go into that fatal passion."
"an anonymous writer is a coward," rejoined hepburn with scorn. "they say there'll not be an inquest."
"an inquest!" repeated the doctor, to whom the idea had never occurred. "there's no necessity for an inquest."
"well, doctor, i suppose the law would in strictness exact it. but mr. north is against it, and it's thought his wishes will be respected."
"any of the medical men can furnish a certificate of the cause of death. i could do it myself."
"yes, of course. but i've no time to stay talking," added the undertaker. "good-day to you, sir."
the next to come forth from the house was alexander, the surgeon. dr. rane rubbed his eyes, almost thinking they deceived him. the brother practitioners shook hands; and mr. alexander--a little man with dark hair--explained what had seemed inexplicable.
it seemed that the very same evening delivery which brought mr. north the anonymous letter, had brought one to mr. alexander. his was from london, informing him that he had been appointed to a post connected with one of the hospitals, and requesting him to go up at once for a few hours. mr. alexander made ready, sent for a fly, and started with his wife for the station, bidding the driver halt at mr. north's iron gates. as he was in attendance at that time on edmund north, he wished to give notice of his temporary absence. to be furiously attacked by edmund north the moment he entered the doors, and as it seemed to him, without rhyme or reason, put mr. alexander into somewhat of a passion also. there was no time for elucidation, neither was a single word he said listened to, and the surgeon hastened out to his fly. he had returned by the first train this morning--london was not much more than an hour's journey by rail--and found that edmund north had died of that self-same passion. half paralyzed with grief and horror, mr. alexander hastened to the hall; and was now coming from it, having fully exculpated himself in all ways in the sight of its master. almost as fully he spoke now to dr. rane; in his grief, in his straightforward candour, nothing selfish or sinister could hide itself.
the transaction in regard to drawing the bill had been wholly edmund north's, some months ago he had sought mr. alexander, saying he was in want of a sum of money--a hundred pounds; he did not know how to put his hands just then upon it, not wishing to apply to his own family; would he, the surgeon, like a good fellow, lend it? at first, mr. alexander had excused himself; for one thing he had not the money--fancy a poor country surgeon with a hundred pounds loose cash, he said; but eventually he fell in with edmund north's pleadings. a bill was drawn, both of them being liable, and was discounted by dale, the lawyer, of whitborough. when the bill had become due (about a week ago) neither of them could meet it; and the matter was arranged with dale by a second bill.
"what i cannot understand is, how edmund north, poor fellow, could have pitched upon me as the writer of that letter," observed the surgeon to dr. rane, when he had finished his recital. "he must have gone clean daft to think it. i had no reason for disclosing it; i did not fear but he would eventually meet the bill."
"i told them you could not have written it," quietly rejoined the doctor.
mr. alexander lifted his hand with angry emphasis. "rane, i'd give a thousand pounds out of my pocket--if i were a rich man and had it--to know who wrote the letter and worked the mischief. i never disclosed the transaction to a living soul; i don't believe edmund north did; besides ourselves, it was known only to the discounter. dale is a safe man; so it seems a perfect mystery. and mark you, rane--that letter was written to damage me at the hall, not edmund north."
dr. rane gazed at the other in great surprise. "to damage you?"
"it is the view i take of it. and so, on reflection, does richard north."
"nonsense, alexander!"
"if ever the hidden particulars come to light, you will find that it is not nonsense, but truth," was the surgeon's answer. "i must have some enemies in the neighbourhood, i suppose; most professional men have; and they no doubt hoped to do for me with mr. north. the norths in a degree sway other people here, and so i should have lost my practice, and been driven away."
oliver had raised his cane, and was lightly flicking the shrub by which he stood, his air that of one in deep thought.
"i confess i do not follow you, alexander. your ill-doing or well-doing is nothing to mr. north; his son's of course was. if you lived by drawing bills, it could be no concern of his."
"drawing bills on my own score would certainly be of no moment to mr. north; but drawing them in conjunction with his son would be. upon which of us would he naturally lay the blame? upon a young, heedless man, as edmund north was; or upon me, a middle-aged, established member of society, with a home and a family? the case speaks for itself."
oliver rane did not appear quite to admit this. he thought the probability lay against mr. alexander's theory, rather than with it. "of course," he slowly said, "looking at it in that light, the letter would tell either way. but i think you must be wrong."
"no, i am not. whoever wrote that missive did it to injure me. i seemed to see it, as by instinct, the minute mr. north gave me the letter to read. if the motive was to drive me from dallory, it might have been spared, and edmund north saved, for i am going to quit it of my own accord."
"to quit dallory?"
"in a month's time from this i and mine will have left it for london. the situation now given to me i have been trying for, under the rose, these six months past."
"but why do you wish to leave dallory?"
"to better myself, as the servants say," replied mr. alexander, "and the move will do that considerably. another reason is that my wife dislikes dallory. madam turned up her nose at us socially when we first settled here; and that, in a degree, kept the best society closed to mrs. alexander. she is well-born, has been reared a lady; and of course it was: enough to set her against the place. besides, all our friends are in london; and so, you see, if my exit into the wilderness was what that anonymous individual was driving at, he might have gained his ends without crime, had he waited only a short time."
"i hate mrs. north," dreamily spoke dr. rane; "and i am sure she hates me, though the wherefore to me is incomprehensible."
"look there," spoke the surgeon, dropping his voice.
both had simultaneously caught sight of mrs. north. she was passing the shrubbery close by, and looked out at them. they raised their hats. mr. alexander made a movement to approach her; she saw it, and turned from him back to the dark wall with her usual sweeping step. so he remained where he was.
"she asked to see me on tuesday night when i was leaving; wanting to know if i could tell her who wrote the letter," said dr. rane.
"she suspected me, i suppose."
"she appeared to suspect--not you, but some one else; and that was richard north."
"richard north!" ironically repeated mr. alexander. "she knows quite well that he is above suspicion; perhaps she was only trying to divert attention from some other person: she is made up of craft. who knows but she wrote the letter herself?"
"mrs. north!"
"upon my word and honour, the thought is in my mind, rane. if the motive of the letter were as you think--to do edmund north damage with his father--i know of only one person who would attempt it, and that is mrs. north."
their eyes met: a strange light shone momentarily in oliver rane's. in saying that he hated mrs. north, he spoke truth; but there was every excuse for the feeling, for it was quite certain that mrs. north had long been working him what ill she could. his marriage with bessy was being delayed, and delayed entirely through her covert opposition.
"that she is an entirely unscrupulous woman, and would stand at nothing, i feel sure," spoke dr. rane, drawing a deep breath. "but, as to the letter----"
"well, as to the letter?" cried the surgeon, in the pause. "i don't say she foresaw that it would kill him."
"this would disprove your theory of its being written to damage you, alexander."
"not altogether. the damaging another, more or less, would be of no moment at all to mrs. north; she would crush any one without scruple."
"i'm sure she would crush me," spoke dr. rane. "heaven knows why; i don't."
"well, if she did write the letter, i think her conscience must smite her as she looks at the poor dead man lying there. good-day, rane: i have not been home to see my little ones yet. mrs. alexander is remaining in town for a day or two."
in talking, they had walked slowly to the end of the avenue; mr. alexander passed through the gates, and took the road towards the ham.
"i may as well go on at once, and see ketler," thought dr. rane. "time enough to call at the hall as i return."
so he went on towards dallory. two gentlemen passed him on horseback, county magistrates, who were probably going to the hall. the sight of them turned his thoughts to the subject of an inquest: he began speculating why mr. north wished to evade it, and whether he would succeed in doing so. for his own part, he did not see that the case, speaking in point of law, called for one. hepburn said it did; and he was supposed, as chief undertaker in dallory, to understand these things.
deep in reflection, the doctor strode on; when, in passing mrs. gass's house, a sharp tapping at the window saluted his ear. it came from that lady herself, and she threw up the sash.
"just come in, will you, dr. rane? i want you for something very particular."
he felt sure she only wanted to question him about the death, and would a great deal rather have gone on: but with her red and smiling face inviting him in peremptorily, he did not see his way to refusing her.
"and so he is gone--that poor young man!" she began, meeting him in her smart dress and pink cap. "when i heard the death-bell ring out this morning, it sounded to me a'most like my own knell."
"yes, he is gone--unhappily," murmured dr. rane.
"well, now, doctor, the next thing is--what became of you yesterday?"
the change of subject appeared peculiar.
"became of me?" repeated dr. rane. "how do you mean?"
"all the mortal day i was stuck at this parlour window, waiting to see you go by," proceeded mrs. gass. "you never passed once."
"yes, i did. i passed in the morning."
"my eyes must have gone a-maying then, for they never saw you," was mrs. gass's answer.
"it was before my usual hour. i was called out early to a sick man in dallory, and i took the opportunity to see ketler at the same time."
"then that accounts for the milk in the cocoa-nuts; and i wasted my time for nothing," was her good-tempered rejoinder.
"why did you want to see me pass?"
mrs. gass paused for a moment before replying. she glanced round to see that the door was closed, and dropped her voice almost to a whisper.
"dr. rane, who wrote that fatal letter?"
"i cannot tell."
"did you?"
oliver rane stared at her, a sudden flush of anger dyeing his brow. no wonder: the question, put with emphatic earnestness, seemed an assertion, almost like that startling reproach of nathan to david.
"mrs. gass, i do not know what you mean."
"i see you don't relish it, doctor. but i am a plain body, as you know; and when in doubt about a thing, pleasant or unpleasant, i like to ask an explanation straight out."
"but why should you be in doubt about this?" he inquired wonderingly. "what can induce you to connect me with the letter?"
mrs. gass took her portly person across the room to a desk; unlocked it, and brought forth a folded piece of paper. she handed it to dr. rane.
it was not a letter; it could not be the copy of one: but it did appear to be the rough sketch of the anonymous missive that had reached mr. north. some of the sentences were written two or three times over; in a close hand, in a scrawling hand, in a reversed hand, as if the writer were practising different styles; in others the construction was altered, words were erased, others substituted. oliver rane gazed upon it as one in complete bewilderment.
"what is this, mrs. gass?"
"is it not the skeleton of the letter?"
"no, certainly not. and yet----" dr. rane broke off and ran his eye over the lines again and again. "there is a similarity in some of the phrases," he suddenly said.
"some of the phrases is identical," returned mrs. gass. "when mr. richard north was here yesterday, i got him to repeat over to me the words of the letter; word for word, so far as he remembered 'em, and i know 'em for these words. whoever writ that letter to mr. north, doctor, first of all tried his sentences and his hand, on this paper, practising how he could best do it."
"how did you come by this?"
"you left it here the night before last."
"i left it here!" repeated dr. rane, looking as if he mentally questioned whether mrs. gass was in her right senses.
"yes. you."
"but you must be dreaming, mrs. gass."
"i never do dream--that sort of dreaming," replied mrs. gass. "look here"--putting her stout hand, covered with costly rings, on his coat-sleeve--"didn't you upset your pocketbook here that night? well, this piece of paper fell out of it."
"it could not have done anything of the sort," he repeated, getting flushed and angry again. "all the papers that fell out of my pocketbook i picked up and returned to it."
"you didn't pick this up; it must have fluttered away unseen. just after you were gone i dropped my spectacle-case, and in stooping for it, i saw this piece of paper lying under the claw of the table."
"but it could not have come out of my pocketbook. just tell me, if you please, mrs. gass, what should bring such a document in my possession?"
"that's just what i can't tell. the paper was not there before candle-light; i'll answer for that much; so where else could it have come from?"
the last words were not spoken as an assertion of her view, but as a question. dr. rane looked at her, she at him; both seeming equally puzzled.
"had you any visitor last evening besides myself?" he asked.
"not a soul. the only person that came into the parlour, barring my own servants, was molly green, under-housemaid at the hall. she lived with me once, and calls in sometimes in passing to ask how i am. they sent her into dallory for something wanted at the chemist's, and she looked in to tell me. the thing had just happened."
dr. rane's brow lost its perplexity: an easy smile, as if the mystery were solved, crossed his face. the hint recently given him by mr. alexander was in his mind.
"i'm glad you've told me this, mrs. gass. the paper was more likely to have been left by molly green than by me. it may have dropped from her petticoats."
"goodness bless the man! from her petticoats! why, she had run all the way from the hall. and how was she likely to pick it up in that house--even though her gown had been finished off with fish-hooks?"
"what cause have i given you to suspect me of this?" retorted dr. rane in harsh tones.
"only this--that i don't see where the paper could have come from but out of your own pocketbook," replied mrs. gass frankly. "i have no other reason to suspect you; i'd as soon suspect myself. it is just a mystery, and nothing else."
"whatever the mystery may be, it is not connected with my pocketbook, mrs. gass," he emphatically said. "did you mention this to richard north?"
"no. nor to anybody else. it was not a pleasant thing to speak of, you see."
"not a pleasant thing for me, certainly, to be suspected of having dropped that paper. the culprit, an innocent one, no doubt, must have been molly green."
"i never was so brought up in all my life," cried the puzzled woman. "as to molly green--it must be just a fancy of yours, doctor, for it never can be fact."
oliver rane drew his chair a little nearer to mrs. gass, and whispered a word of the doubt touching mrs. north. he only spoke of it as a doubt; a hint at most; but mrs. gass was not slow to take it.
"heaven help the woman!--if it's her work."
"but this must not be breathed aloud," he said, taking alarm. "it may be a false suspicion."
"don't fear me: it's a thing too grave for me to mix myself up in," was the reply: and to give mrs. gass her due, she did look scared in no slight degree. "dr. rane, i am sorry for saying what i did to you. it was the impossibility, as i took it, of anything's having left it here but that flutter of papers from your pocketbook. whoever would have given a thought to molly green?"
dr. rane made no answer.
"she put her basket down by the door there, and came up the room to look at my geraniums; i held the candle for her. i remember she caught her crinoline on the corner of the iron fender, and it gave her a twist round. the idiots that girls make of themselves with them big crinolines! perhaps it dropped from her then."
"well, let us bury it in silence, mrs. gass; it is only a doubt at best," said the prudent but less eloquent physician. "you will allow me to take this," he added alluding to the paper. "i should like to examine it at leisure."
"take it, and welcome," she answered; "i'm glad to be rid of it. as to burying it in silence, we had better, i expect, both do that."
"even to richard north," he enjoined rather anxiously.
"even to richard north. i have kept secrets in my day, doctor, and can keep 'em again."
dr. rane put the paper in his pocketbook, deposited that in the breast-pocket of his coat, and took his departure. but now, being a shrewd man, a suspicion that he would not have given utterance to for the whole world, lay on dr. rane--that it was more in accordance with probability that the paper had dropped out of his pocketbook than from molly green's petticoats, seeing they were not finished off with fish-hooks.
a heavy weight lying there on his breast! and he went along with a loitering step, asking himself how the paper could have originally come there.
