him, was quite startlingly
respectful, and even, as it were, huskily sympathetic.

"You must excuse me, sir," he said in a hoarse whisper, "but we didn't
think it right not to let you know at once. I'm afraid a rather dreadful
thing has happened, sir. I'm afraid your brother--"

Wilfred clenched his frail hands. "What devilry has he done now?" he
cried in voluntary passion.

"Why, sir," said the cobbler, coughing, "I'm afraid he's done nothing,
and won't do anything. I'm afraid he's done for. You had really better
come down, sir."

The curate followed the cobbler down a short winding stair which brought
them out at an entrance rather higher than the street. Bohun saw the
tragedy in one glance, flat underneath him like a plan. In the yard
of the smithy were standing five or six men mostly in black, one in
an inspector's uniform. They included the doctor, the Presbyterian
minister, and the priest from the Roman Catholic chapel, to which the
blacksmith's wife belonged. The latter was speaking to her, indeed,
very rapidly, in an undertone, as she, a magnificent woman with red-gold
hair, was sobbing blindly on a bench. Between these two groups, and
just clear of the main heap of hammers, lay a man in evening dress,
spread-eagled and flat on his face. From the height above Wilfred could
have sworn to every item of his costume and appearance, down to the
Bohun rings upon his fingers; but the skull was only a hideous splash,
like a star of blackness and blood.

Wilfred Bohun gave but one glance, and ran down the steps into the yard.
The doctor, who was the family physician, saluted him, but he scarcely
took any notice. He could only stammer out: "My brother is dead. What
does it mean? What is this horrible mystery?" There was an unhappy
silence; and then the cobbler, the most outspoken man present, answered:
"Plenty of horror, sir," he said; "but not much mystery."

"What do you mean?" asked Wilfred, with a white face.

"It's plain enough," answered Gibbs. "There is only one man for forty
miles round that could have struck such a blow as that, and he's the man
that had most reason to."

"We must not prejudge anything," put in the doctor, a tall,
black-bearded man, rather nervously; "but it is competent for me to
corroborate what Mr. Gibbs says about the nature of the blow, sir; it
is an incredible blow. Mr. Gibbs says that only one man in this district
could have done it. I should have said myself that nobody could ha