Page:Braddon--The Trail of the Serpent.djvu/31

Rh "No, it ain't my place," said Mr. Jinks. "The letter's not sealed, I see, but I mustn't read it, or if I do, I stand the chance of gettin' snubbed and lectured for goin' beyond my dooty: howsumdever, you can show it to the coroner. I'm sure I should be very glad to see you clear yourself, for I've heard you belong to one of our good old county families, and it ain't quite the thing to hang such as you."

Poor Richard! His reckless words of the night before came back to him: "I wonder they don't hang such fellows as I am." "And now," says Jinks, "as I should like to make all things comfortable, if you're willing to come along quietly with me and my friend here, why, I'll move those bracelets, because they are not quite so ornamental as they're sometimes useful; and as I'm going to light my pipe, why, if you like to blow a cloud, too, you can."

With this Mr. Jinks unlocked and removed the handcuffs, and produced his pipe and tobacco. Richard did the same, and took from his pocket a match-box in which there was only one match.

"That's awkward," said Jinks, "for I haven't a light about me."

They filled the two pipes, and lighted the one match.

Now, all this time Richard had held his uncle's letter of introduction in his hand, and when there was some little difficulty in lighting the tobacco from the expiring lucifer, he, without a moment's thought, held the letter over the nickering flame, and from the burning paper lighted his pipe.

In a moment he remembered what he had done.

The letter of introduction! the one piece of evidence in his favour! He threw the blazing paper on the ground and stamped on it, but in vain. In spite of all his efforts a few black ashes alone remained.

"The devil must have possessed me," he exclaimed. "I have burnt my uncle's letter."

"Well," says Mr. Jinks, "I've seen many dodges in my time, and I've seen a many knowing cards; but if that isn't the neatest dodge, and if you ain't the knowingest card I ever did see, blow me."

"I tell you that letter was in my uncle's hand; written to his friend, the merchant at Gardenford; and in it he mentions having given me the very money you say has been stolen from his cabinet."

"Oh, the letter was all that, was it? And you've lighted your pipe with it. You'd better tell that little story before the coroner. It will be so very conwincing to the jury."