as
such. He never held an inquest without introducing some remarks upon
uninterned aliens, the military age, Ireland and conscription, soldiers'
wives and drinking, the prevalence of bigamy, and other popular war-time
topics. In short, Mr. Edgehill, like many other people, had used the war
to emerge from a chrysalis existence as a local bore into a butterfly
career as a public nuisance. In that capacity he was still good "copy"
in some of the London newspapers, and was even occasionally referred to
in leading articles as a fine example of the sturdy country spirit which
Londoners would do well to emulate.

Before commencing his inquiry into the death of Mr. Glenthorpe, the
coroner indignantly expressed his surprise that a small hamlet like
Flegne could produce so many able-bodied men to serve on a jury in
war-time. But after ascertaining that all the members of the jury were
over military age, with the exception of one man who was afflicted with
heart disease, he suffered the inquest to proceed.

The evidence of the innkeeper and the waiter was a repetition of the
story they had told to the chief constable on the preceding day.
Constable Queensmead, in his composed way, gave an account of his
preliminary investigations into the crime, and the finding of the body.

The only additional evidence brought forward was given by two of the men
who had been in the late Mr. Glenthorpe's employ. These men, Herward and
Duney, had found the track of the footprints in the clay near the pit on
going to work the previous morning. After the discovery that Mr.
Glenthorpe was missing from the inn, Herward had been let down into the
pit by a rope, and had brought up the body. Both these men told their
story with a wealth of unlettered detail, and Duney, who was one of the
aboriginals of the district, added his personal opinion that t'oud
ma'aster mun 'a' been very dead afore the chap got him in the pit, else
he would 'a' dinged one of the chap's eyes in, t'oud ma'aster not bein'
a man to be taken anywhere against his will. However, the chap that
carried him must 'a' been powerful strong, because Herward told him his
own arms were begunnin' ter ache good tidily just a-howdin' him up to
the rope when they wor being a-hawled out the pit.

The coroner, in his summing up, dwelt upon the strong circumstantial
evidence against Ronald, and the folly of the deceased in withdrawing a
large sum of money from the bank for the purpose of carrying ou