"THE ANIMAL DID NOT SEEM TO BE SO AMENABLE AS USUAL."
"THE ANIMAL DID NOT SEEM TO BE SO AMENABLE AS USUAL."
"THE ANIMAL DID NOT SEEM TO BE SO AMENABLE AS USUAL."
The Squire snatched up a rifle, loaded, and raised the piece; but by this time three other men were driving off the beast with stones; and in two minutes more they carried Benton outside the gate. One of them came running to the house; the Squire called to him, asking about the injured man.
"Dying, sir," was the answer.
The revealing of the secrethadmattered; and its result had come quickly!
The Squire shuddered and covered his face. The scene just enacted led his mind to the scene at the foot of the staircase—the object covered with the grey overcoat. He uncovered his face to notice what he had seen, but not noticed, previously—little Rupert lying on the sofa covered with that coat!
The coat had, after the tragedy, been taken to the study and hung over a chair, where it had remained until, half an hour ago, Mrs. Wriggs had thrown it over the sleeping child to keep him warm.
Shuddering again, the Squire plucked the coat off Rupert, and flung it through the open window, placing a skin over the boy in its place.
Then he turned again to see them carrying in the victim of the bull, and was suddenly conscious of a slight cracking noise in the ceiling of the room and the sound of something falling.
A heavy carved boss had detached itself from the mullioned ceiling and fallen upon the head of the sleeping child; the boss bore a shield on which was a golden disc, bearing in its centre a red skull.
Rupert was dead!
One of the servants found the grey coat lying on the lane outside; his attention was attracted by something which had found its way beneath the lining of the skirt.
There was a hole in the pocket where the sewing had given way, permitting the object to slip through: the object was a small, flat leathern case. It had been placed in the pocket, for fun, by Rupert on that day when he had played with the things in the safe.
Until flung from the window, the grey coat had never been away from Grange except during the short time when John Puddifoot had been owner.
J. F. Sullivan.
The concluding article on "How Composers Work" will appear in the next number.
Transcriber's Notes:Title Page and Table of Contents created by transcriber.Simple spelling, grammar, and typographical errors were silently corrected.Punctuation normalized.Anachronistic and non-standard spellings retained as printed.
Title Page and Table of Contents created by transcriber.
Simple spelling, grammar, and typographical errors were silently corrected.
Punctuation normalized.
Anachronistic and non-standard spellings retained as printed.