The Boy Soldier; Or, Garibaldi's Young Captain — page 68: what you’re looking at

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62 THE BOY SOLDIER; OR, GARIBALDI'S YOUNG CAPTAIN. 4. ‘© A robber,” said Caspar, faintly smiling. “ You did not take the part of an assassim, then, I suppose?” asked Gale, with a dry laugh, in which | some of his brother officers joined. “No.” | “You are pretty clever, I dare say,” replied Gale, “but not clever enough, perhaps.’ “1g this your slouched hat?” said the hardened detective, opening a bundle he carried under his arm, ‘“‘ Yes,” said Caspar. get it?” ‘And is this your, mask ?” | “Jtis, How came you by it?” | “ And this is your cloak ?" said Gale, showing it. “Tt is. But why all this mystery and ominous | words? If it is my cloak it has my initials on the back of the collar. Yes, that’s it ; ‘ Caspar,’ you see, is marked on the lining ; but—oh, God |” said he, looking at it again, and with trembling hands un- | folding it, “it is my cloak; but—oh, God!” he | gasped, “7%t has blood on it !” Some strange and horrible suspicion now crossed | his mind. - | He fell fainting on the floor ! : | | “How and where did you GHAPTER XXXII. THE DETECTIVES AT WORK—GALE AT BROMLEY HALL— SHANKS FLIES TO LONDON—ALARM AND TERROR OF JONATHAN—WATCHED NIGHT AND THE appearances, or “ circumstantial evidence,” as it is called, were so much against Mr. Caspar, the | young tutor, that, although he was locked vp on | the charge of robbery, only Sergeant Gale. con- sidered it well to look into the matter of old Ford’s | murder, and ferret out his connection with it. “Where did you say this youngster came from, Gamble?” asked Gale. there.” -©You have found the missing property in his trunk, you say?” ‘<< Yeg:2 ‘* Let’s have a look at some of it.” _ Gamble showed him some, the diamond ring in particular, as being the most valuable article of the lot. | Gale looked at. the ring, wrapped up as it was | found in tissue paper, and he smiled. “ Were all tie articles so wrapped up ?” (Yes, Why do you smile?” ‘The youth never stole ’em, that’s all,” said Gale, _ Why, we found ’em all in his trunk. What | _ greater evidence would you have ?” | “« He never wrapped them up so carefully as this,” | | | said Gale. ‘They are done up too nicely and tidily for a man to do, This is a woman's work, Gamble.” _ ' “Think so?” “Yes ; a man's fingers didn’t do it, you may rest assured,” ‘But he will have to prove that, Perhaps the ‘ady’s-maid might have done it, and gone shares rT ce keep one. Hikxely, for I hear the mistress doesn’t Bromley Hall in a “dad shall be going’ down to a line as to what I think, 49, ane will drop you any hurry with the cas ~ ~»while, don’t be in manded for a week or twaeer ce “ave “him Te: ‘But do you thi ; with this ake pinks he has had anything to a. a ey “From Bromley Academy; he was a tutor - a] if “Ah! there you ask me too much. I have no — doubt in the world that the cloak, and hat, and — mask we found in the house belong to him; tbat he doesn’t deny; but the question is, was he at | Bromley Hall on the night of the murder ” i ‘Tf not, it looks ugly against him.” ks, “ Just so; but we mustn’t be in any hurry to | form conclusions, His things may have been stolen | by some other party, but at present all is mystery, ‘ It’s a perplexing case, I must say.” eile | Take him altogether Gale wasn’t a bad sort ¢ man; his héart could be soft enough at tim’, but he was continually mixed up with thieves housebreakers, forgers, murderers, and the like, an a had been for many, many years, until at lasthe | began to look upon all human nature with a dis- trustful and suspicious eye, and could scarcely be brought to believe in the honesty of his own brother. heer When Caspar had been locked up Gale nas if by 4 5 J towards the cells, while the old turnkey, as if accident, began to speak to the prisoner on several subjects in order “to pump” out of him all he knew regarding the late Mr. Ford, : . Gale, who was out of sight, listened, but he could le gain no information whatever. | Mee, Caspar was too low-spirited to speak much on any subject, and Gale, as he moved away, and when alone with the gaoler, said, eet ‘‘Tt’s no use asking any questions, the youngster has had no hand in the murder.” se F ‘© Whether he has had or not J fear a jury would hang him on circumstantial evidence, if he couldn’t prove that he slept at Bromley Hall.” is. “That remains to be seen,” said Gale; “Ill discover that when I go down.” : Rata . *“ When do you start?” “To-morrow morning.” is That same evening Sergeant Gale saw old Jona- than, but did not say anything abont his intended journey, = Jonathan, however, was full of the murder, and the more brandy and water he drank the more his tongue rattled on with wonderful rapidity, 1 ‘‘So you think that either one of the nephews or. Mr. Caspar did this ?” asked Gale. at “Well, you know, I couldn’t say for certain, but every one must ¢onfess things look very ugly against them.”’ a> ee ‘Just so, just so; but let me ask, Mr, Jonathan, when did yow come up to London ?” ‘Me? why the very morning after the murder.” “On what business, pray ?”’ Gale asked, smiling. “Why to inform old Ford of the conduct of his” tivo rascally nephews.” - ** Just so, just so.” . “But I hope and trust that you have no sus- picions about me, Mr. Sergeant?” “You? Lor’ bless you, no; not the least, Mr, Gravestones,” said Gale, laughing, OGe Jonathan began to feel very uneasy and looked very pale, ; enna He now wished that he had never come to London at all. “Do you often come to town?” “ Not often.” ‘‘ And where do you stay ?” “Why, generally at the ‘Three Cripples,’ Crip- plegate. Why do you ask ?” | ‘Oh, nothing; it’s a good house. Do you re- member where old Ford’s lawyer lived?” i “His lawyer? No; I never thought he had one, he was too much of a miser for that.’’ ey eee had a lawyer, though, so Roger the old ‘ov Says. His name was Flint.” > Comichbooks.com