“From his Bible, took the note,” resumed Aunt Lydia, “cleared out through the winder in my sittin’–room, and there’s the rag your coat—now in the entry—left behind when you climbed out and tore the linin’!” Here Aunt Lydia held up before Baggs the little rag that she had so carefully retained.
All but Baggs had risen and were eagerly scrutinizing the note. Inwardly, Baggs was in a turmoil; outwardly, his face was flushed and his crooked eye was rolling like a vessel in a storm. When he spoke, he showed great self–control. His voice was placid as ever, and he waved his great, fat hands as if quieting an unnecessary tumult.
“Now, ladies and gentlemen, what’s all this fuss for? I have doc—doc—doc—”
“Doctor?” suggested Varney, wishing to help up his stumbling client. “Want the doctor?”
“No—no! What kind of evidence do you call it? Doc—doc—”
“Thank you, Squire,” said Baggs, bowing low. “I have dockermentry evidence about this note, and it’s in the coat that Madame Blake spoke about.”
“And,” he continued, “if you will permit me, I will bring the very coat, and splain that rag business too.”
Here he triumphantly looked about upon his auditors as if he were carrying a point in the town meetings, where he had been famous as an orator.
“Yes, I will bring the coat, this very moment”—and as he spoke, he rose and stepped toward the door into the store—“and no one need feel s’cluded from the investigation. All please stay here. Our young friend there”—he pointed toward Walter—“may remain. I will satisfy all—yes—I will—” and he was gone.
“Well,” declared Squire Tuck, “this is interesting business,” and he looked toward Varney.
“Yes, but just wait and give the man a chance to speak for himself. It’s a serious thing to charge a man with forgery.”
“I should think, sir,” roared Uncle Boardman, “to take away a man’s property was a pretty serious matter also!”
“Yes; serious, vile, imperdent, reskelly—” Aunt Lydia stood with opened mouth pouring out a torrent of hot adjectives, when Squire Tuck interrupted her and interrupted also the tumult that had become general, saying, shouting rather, “Now all be quiet! We want to hear from Baggs. He ought to have got that coat by this time.”
The Squire stepped to the door into the store and opened it, wishing to assist the tardy Baggs. “Allow me, Brother Tuck, the pleasure of helping you,” said Varney with much politeness, and he followed the Squire who had stepped out into the store. Those in the sitting–room now heard one word from the Squire and it came in no gentle tones: “Gone!” What a rush there was from that sitting–room!