e and
the time when Mrs. Madding made her first call and found it impossible
to attract his attention. But if this were the time of his death, then
it was certain that Mr. Arthur Morton could not be guilty, as it was
AFTER this that she had met the young squire at the gate.

If this hypothesis were correct, and someone was with Dr. Lana before
Mrs. Madding met Mr. Arthur Morton, then who was this someone, and what
motives had he for wishing evil to the doctor? It was universally
admitted that if the friends of the accused could throw light upon
this, they would have gone a long way towards establishing his
innocence. But in the meanwhile it was open to the public to say--as
they did say--that there was no proof that anyone had been there at all
except the young squire; while, on the other hand, there was ample
proof that his motives in going were of a sinister kind. When Mrs.
Madding called, the doctor might have retired to his room, or he might,
as she thought at the time, have gone out and returned afterwards to
find Mr. Arthur Morton waiting for him. Some of the supporters of the
accused laid stress upon the fact that the photograph of his sister
Frances, which had been removed from the doctor's room, had not been
found in her brother's possession. This argument, however, did not
count for much, as he had ample time before his arrest to burn it or to
destroy it. As to the only positive evidence in the case--the muddy
footmarks upon the floor--they were so blurred by the softness of the
carpet that it was impossible to make any trustworthy deduction from
them. The most that could be said was that their appearance was not
inconsistent with the theory that they were made by the accused, and it
was further shown that his boots were very muddy upon that night.
There had been a heavy shower in the afternoon, and all boots were
probably in the same condition.

Such is a bald statement of the singular and romantic series of events
which centred public attention upon this Lancashire tragedy. The
unknown origin of the doctor, his curious and distinguished
personality, the position of the man who was accused of the murder, and
the love affair which had preceded the crimes all combined to make the
affair one of those dramas which absorb the whole interest of a nation.
Throughout the three kingdoms men discussed the case of the Black
Doctor of Bishop's Crossing, and many were the theories put forward to
explain the facts