jury please when you first
identified the deceased as your son?"

"This morning, sir."

"In the mortuary chamber?"

"Yes, sir."

"You had not seen the body before?"

"No, sir."

"Did you know that other witnesses have sworn that the body is that of
a gentleman called Philip de Mountford?"

"Yes, sir. I knew that."

"Then do you mean to assert that those other witnesses have sworn
false oaths?"

"Oh, no, sir," rejoined James Baker with an apologetic smile of
self-deprecation, "I wouldn't say such a thing, sir."

"Well, then?"

"They was mistaken, sir, that's all. Paul was that clever, sir; ask
'is mother there."

And once more the lean and grimy finger pointed to the seedy-looking
matron who nodded a melancholy head, half in pride, half in regret.

"Clever, did you say?" asked the coroner, more briskly now. At last he
held a thread in this extraordinary tangled skein. "Then do you mean
to assert that your son--Paul Baker--went about the world calling
himself Philip de Mountford?"

"That must 'ave been it, sir, I think."

"Deceiving people?"

"Aye! 'e was ever a bit o' no good."

"You think he imposed upon his lordship, the Earl of Radclyffe?"

"'E must 'ave done, sir, mustn't 'e now? seein' as 'ow 'is lordship
must 'ave been took in."

"You helped him in the deception, I suppose?"

"Me, sir? Lor' bless ye no! Me an' 'is mother ain't clever enough for
such things! We knew nothin' of Paul's doin's, and 'e allus went 'is
own way, sir."

"But at least you knew that this fraud was going on?"

"Not exactly, sir."

"How do you mean 'not exactly?'" retorted the coroner sharply. "You
seem to be unconscious of the fact that this story which you are
telling the jury is a very serious matter indeed. If it is true, you
are not only making a grave accusation against your dead son, but with
this accusation you may be involving yourself or some other member of
your family in an exceedingly serious charge of fraud, the penalty for
which if proved would be very severe indeed. On the other hand if the
story you tell is nothing but a cock-and-bull tale, which further
evidence would presently demolish, then you lay yourself open to a
charge of perjury and of conspiracy to defeat the ends of justice. I
have thought best to give you this word of warning--the last which you
will get from me--because really you do not seem to be fully conscious
of the extreme gravity of your position."

The bricklayer from Clap