a
sheet of paper before him and wrote a note to the lawyers. He briefly
stated what had taken place; that his brother was dead from an accident,
and he had inherited, and should take speedy measures for the discharge
of any liabilities there might be against him: and he requested, as a
favour, that the letter written to them by his brother might be preserved
and returned to him: he should wish to keep it as the last lines his hand
had traced.

CHAPTER XI.

THE INQUEST.

On this day, Thursday, the inquest was held. Most of the gay crowd
staying at Hartledon had taken flight; Mr. Carteret, and one or two more,
whose testimony might be wished for, remaining. The coroner and jury
assembled in the afternoon, in a large boarded apartment called the
steward's room. Lord Hartledon was present with Dr. Ashton and other
friends: they were naturally anxious to hear the evidence that could be
collected, and gather any light that might be thrown upon the accident.
The doors were not closed to the public, and a crowd, gentle and simple,
pressed in.

The surgeon spoke to the supposed cause of death--drowning: the miller
spoke to his house and mill having been that afternoon shut up. He and
his wife went over in their spring-cart to Garchester, and left the place
locked up, he said. The coroner asked whether it was his custom to lock
up his place when he went out; he replied that it was, when they went out
together; but that event rarely happened. Upon his return at dusk, he
found the little skiff loose in the stream, and secured it. It was his
servant-boy, David Ripper, who called his attention to it first of all.
He saw nothing of Lord Hartledon, and had not very long secured the skiff
when Mr. Percival Elster came up in the pony-carriage, asking if his
brother was there. He looked at the skiff, and said it was the one his
lordship had been in. Mr. Elster said he supposed his brother was walking
home, and he should drive slowly back and look out for him. Later Mr.
Elster returned: he had several servants with him then and lanterns; they
had come out to look for Lord Hartledon, but could not find him. It was
only just after they had gone away again that the Irish harvest-men came
up and found the body.

This was the substance of the miller's evidence; it was all he knew:
and the next witness called was the boy David Ripper, popularly styled
in the neighbourhood young Rip, in contradistinction to his father, a
day-labou