Mr.
Charke's servant was at the Stag's Head Inn at Feltram, and therefore could
throw no light upon what occurred at night at Bartram-Haugh; but he was
there at six o'clock in the morning, and very early at his master's door by
his direction. He had locked it, as was his habit, upon the inside, and the
key was in the lock, which turned out afterwards a very important point.
On knocking he found that he could not awaken his master, because, as it
appeared when the door was forced open, his master was lying dead at his
bedside, not in a pool, but a perfect pond of blood, as they described it,
with his throat cut.'
'How horrible!' cried I.
'So it was. Your uncle Silas was called up, and greatly shocked of course,
and he did what I believe was best. He had everything left as nearly as
possible in the exact state in which it had been found, and he sent his
own servant forthwith for the coroner, and, being himself a justice of
the peace, he took the depositions of Mr. Charke's servant while all the
incidents were still fresh in his memory.'
'Could anything be more straightforward, more right and wise?' I said.
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