Of course the coroner had to recover his official manner as quickly as possible. But even to him the statement had come as a surprise. He had only known very vaguely that a witness had come forward at the eleventh hour, having only just had time to communicate with the police before the opening of the inquest.
In view of the importance of the evidence, the witness was called as soon as possible; what he had to say would materially affect the whole trend of the inquiry; he had, it seems, brought others with him--members of his own family among them--in order that they might corroborate the truth of what he said.
Quite a minute or so had elapsed in the meanwhile; then at last was the coroner able to resume with at least a semblance of official indifference:
"Now," he said, "let the jury understand a little more clearly what you said just now."
"Yes, what you said. Let us understand it clearly. You went to the mortuary this morning, and saw the body of the deceased?"
"And you state here on oath that in the deceased you recognized your own son?"
"I'll swear to 'im!" replied the witness simply. "Ask 'is mother there!"
And with a long, thin finger, generously edged with grime, he pointed to the woman in seedy black hat and shabby tweed jacket who sat quite close to Luke de Mountford.
"Never mind about his mother just now," admonished the coroner. "We want your statement first. You realize that you are on oath?"
"And you understand the importance of an oath?"
"And you swear that the body of the murdered man whom you saw in the mortuary chamber this morning is that of your son?"
I believe that had coroner and jury and practically every man there present, dared to put their thoughts into words at that moment, the ejaculation: "Well! I am blowed!" or "I'm d----d!" as the case might be--would have been generally heard throughout the room. The women, on the other hand, were far too excited even to think.
"Now," resumed the coroner, "tell the jury please when you first identified the deceased as your son?"
"Did you know that other witnesses have sworn that the body is that of a gentleman called Philip de Mountford?"
"Then do you mean to assert that those other witnesses have sworn false oaths?"