"And it was also you who first saw the body in the water," observed the
coroner, regarding the reluctant witness curiously. "How came you to see
that? Were you looking for something of the sort?"
The witness shivered. He didn't know how he come to see it. He was on the
strade, not looking for nothing, when he saw some'at dark among the
reeds, and told the harvesters when they come by. They said it was a man,
got him out, and then found it was his lordship.
There was only one peculiarity about the boy's evidence--his manner.
All he said was feasible enough; indeed, what would be most likely to
happen under the circumstances. But whence arose his terror? Had he been
of a timid temperament, it might have been natural; but the miller had
spoken the truth--he was audacious and hardy. Only upon one or two,
however, did the manner leave any impression. Pike, who made one of the
crowd in the inquest-room, was one of these. His experience of human
nature was tolerably keen, and he felt sure the boy was keeping something
behind that he did not dare to tell. The coroner and jury were not so
clear-sighted, and dismissed him with the remark that he was a "little
fool."
"Call George Gorton," said the coroner, looking at his notes.
Very much to Lord Hartledon's surprise--perhaps somewhat to his
annoyance--the man answering to this name was the one who had originally
come to Calne on a special mission to himself.
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