If Winter Comes eBook

Arthur Stuart-Menteth Hutchinson
This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 462 pages of information about If Winter Comes.

If Winter Comes eBook

Arthur Stuart-Menteth Hutchinson
This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 462 pages of information about If Winter Comes.

“There wasn’t much more to interrupt.  Twyning had had about as much as he wanted; he’d done what he was out to do, anyway.  The case finished.  The coroner had a go at the jury.  They went out.  I suppose they were gone ten minutes.  Shuffled in again.  Gave their verdict.  I was watching Sabre.  He took down his hands from his face and stared with all the world’s agony in his face, straining himself forward to hear.  Verdict.  They found suicide while temporarily insane and added their most severe censure of the conduct of the witness Sabre.  He jumped up and flung out his hands.  ‘Look here—­Look here—­Censure!  Censure!  Cens—!’

“Dropped back on his seat like he was shot.  Twisted himself up.  Sat rocking.

“Court cleared in less than no time.  Me left in my corner.  This Lady Tybar.  Sabre, twisted up.  Bobby or two.  I began to come forward.  Sabre looks up.  Looks round.  Gets his hat.  Collects his old stick.  Starts to hobble out.

“This Lady Tybar gets in front of him, me alongside of her by then.  ‘Marko, Marko.’ (That was what she called him.) He sort of pushes at her and at me:  ‘Let me alone.  Let me alone.  Get right away from me.’  Hobbles away down the room.

“A bobby stops him.  ’Better go this way, sir.  Rough lot of people out there.’  Leads him to a side door.

“We followed him up, she and I. Door gave on to a lane running up into the Penny Green road.  She tried at him again, gently, very tenderly, ‘Marko, Marko, dear.’  Would have made your heart squirm.  I tried at him:  ‘Now then, old man.’  Swung round on us.  ’Let me alone.  Get away.  Get right away from me!’

“Followed him, the pair of us, up to the main road.  She tried again.  I tried.  He swung round and faced us.  ’Let me alone.  Won’t any one let me alone?  Get right away from me.  Look here—­Look here.  If you want to do anything for me, get right away from me and leave me alone.  Leave me alone.  Do you hear?  Leave me alone.’

“Hobbled away out towards Penny Green, bobbing along on his stick fast as he could go.

“She said to me, ‘Oh, Oh—­’ and began to cry.  I said I thought the best thing was to leave him for a bit and that I’d go over, or she could, or both of us, a bit later.  Clear we were only driving him mad by following him now.  There was a cab came prowling by.  I gave the chap a pound note and told him to follow Sabre.—­’Get up just alongside and keep there,’ I said.  ’He’ll likely get in.  Get him in and take him up to Crawshaws, Penny Green, and come back to me at the Royal Hotel and there’s another quid for you.’

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Project Gutenberg
If Winter Comes from Project Gutenberg. Public domain.