He had commanded his boatman to hold way, and they dropped back down stream again to get within sight of the summer-house, but then to see it dark, and to all appearance deserted.
Afterwards he proceeded home to his hotel, there to sit up for the remainder of the night, packing and otherwise preparing for his journey--of itself a consequence of the angry parting with his betrothed, and the pledge so slightingly returned.
In the morning he wrote to her, directing the letter to be dropped into the post office; which he knew to have been done before his leaving the hotel for the railway station.
"Has any letter reached Llangorren Court?" inquires the coroner, turning from the witness, and putting the question in a general way. "I mean for Miss Wynn, since the night of that ball?"
The butler present, stepping forward, answers in the affirmative, saying,--
"There are a good many for Miss Gwen since--some almost coming in every post."
Although there is, or was, but one Miss Gwen Wynn at Llangorren, the head servant, as the others, from habit calls her "Miss Gwen," speaking of her as if she were still alive.
"It is your place to look after the letters, I believe?"
"What have you done with those addressed to Miss Wynn?"
"I gave them to Gibbons, Miss Gwen's lady's-maid."
"Let Gibbons be called again!" directs the coroner.
The girl is brought in the second time, having been already examined at some length, and, as before, confessing her neglect of duty.
"Mr. Williams," proceeds the examiner, "gave you some letters for your late mistress. What have you done with them?"
"I took them upstairs to Miss Gwen's room."
"Yes; on the dressing table, where she always had the letters left for her."
"Be good enough to bring them down here. Bring all."
Another pause in the proceedings while Gibbons is off after the now posthumous correspondence of the deceased lady, during which whisperings are interchanged between the coroner and the jurymen, asking questions of one another. They relate to a circumstance seeming strange; that nothing has been said about these letters before--at least, to those engaged in the investigation.
The explanation, however, is given--a reason evident and easily understood. They have seen the state of mind in which the two ladies of the establishment are--Miss Linton almost beside herself, Eleanor Lees not far from the same. In the excitement of occurrences, neither has given thought to letters, even having forgotten the one which so occupied their attention on that day when Gwen was missed from her seat at the breakfast table. It might not have been seen by them then, but for Gibbons not being in the way to take it upstairs as usual. These facts, or rather deductions, are informal, and discussed while the maid is absent on her errand.