It was supposed that he had then approached Sir Wynston, with the
view either of robbing, or of murdering him while he slept, and that the
deceased had awakened just after he had reached him; that a brief and
desperate struggle had ensued, in which the assailant had struck his
victim with his fist upon the forehead, and having stunned him, had
hurriedly clutched him by the hair, and stabbed him with the dagger,
which lay close by upon the chimneypiece, forcing his head violently
against the back of the chair. This part of the conjecture was supported
by the circumstance of there being discovered a lock of hair upon the
ground at the spot, and a good deal of blood. The carpet, too, was
tumbled, and a water-decanter, which had stood upon the table close by,
was lying in fragments upon the floor. It was supposed that the murderer
had then dragged the half-lifeless body to the bed, where, having
substituted the knife, which he had probably brought to the room in the
same pocket from which the boy afterwards saw him take the dagger, he
dispatched him; and either hearing some alarm--perhaps the movement of
the valet in the adjoining room, or from some other cause--he dropped
the knife in the bed, and was not able to find it again. The wounds upon
the hand of the dead man indicated his having caught and struggled to
hold the blade of the weapon with which he was assailed. The impression
of a bloody hand thrust under the bolster, where it was Sir Wynston's
habit to place his purse and watch, when making his arrangements for the
night, supplied the motive of this otherwise unaccountable atrocity. After some brief consultation, the jury agreed upon a verdict of willful
murder against John Merton, a finding of which the coroner expressed his
entire approbation. Marston, as a justice of the peace, had informations, embodying the
principal part of the evidence given before the coroner, sworn against
Merton, and transmitted a copy of them to the Home Office. A reward for
the apprehension of the culprit was forthwith offered, but for some
months without effect. Marston had, in the interval, written to several of Sir Wynston's many
relations, announcing the catastrophe, and requesting that steps might
immediately be taken to have the body removed. Meanwhile undertakers were
busy in the chamber of death. The corpse was enclosed in lead, and that
again in cedar, and a great oak shell, covered with crimson cloth and
goldheaded nails, and with a gilt plate, recording the age, title, &c.
&c., of the deceased, was screwed down firmly over all. Nearly a fortnight elapsed before any reply to Marston's letters was
received. A short epistle at last arrived from Lord H----, the late Sir
Wynston's uncle, deeply regretting the "sad and inexplicable occurrence,"
and adding, that the will, which, on receipt of the "distressing
intelligence," was immediately opened and read, contained no direction
whatever respecting the sepulture of the deceased, which had therefore
better be completed as modestly and expeditiously as possible, in the
neighborhood; and, in conclusion, he directed that the accounts of the
undertakers, &c., employed upon the melancholy occasion, might be sent in
to Mr. Skelton, who had kindly undertaken to leave London without any
delay, for the purpose of completing these last arrangements, and who
would, in any matter of business connected with the deceased, represent
him, Lord H----, as executor of the late baronet. This letter was followed, in a day or two, by the arrival of Skelton, a
well-dressed, languid, impertinent London tuft-hunter, a good deal faded,
with a somewhat sallow and puffy face, charged with a pleasant
combination at once of meanness, insolence, and sensuality--just such a
person as Sir Wynston's parasite might have been expected to prove. However well disposed to impress the natives with high notions of his
extraordinary refinement and importance, he very soon discovered that, in
Marston, he had stumbled upon a man of the world, and one thoroughly
versed in the ways and characters of London life. After some ineffectual
attempts, therefore, to overawe and astonish his host, Mr. Skelton became
aware of the fruitlessness of the effort, and condescended to abate
somewhat of his pretensions. Marston could not avoid inviting this
person to pass the night at his house, an invitation which was accepted,
of course; and next morning, after a late breakfast, Mr. Skelton
observed, with a yawn--"And now, about this body--poor Berkley!--what do
you propose to do with him?" "I have no proposition to make," said Marston, drily. "It is no affair of
mine, except that the body may be removed without more delay. I have no
suggestion to offer." "H----'s notion was to have him buried as near the spot as may be,"
said Skelton. Marston nodded. "There is a kind of vault, is not there, in the demesne, a family
burial-place?" inquired the visitor. "Yes, sir," replied Marston, curtly. "Well?" drawled Skelton. "Well, sir, what then?" responded Marston. "Why, as the wish of the parties is to have him buried--poor fellow!--as
quietly as possible, I think he might just as well be laid there as
anywhere else!" "Had I desired it, Mr. Skelton, I should myself have made the offer,"
said Marston, abruptly. "Then you don't wish it?" said Skelton. "No, sir; certainly not--most peremptorily not," answered Marston, with
more sharpness than, in his early days, he would have thought quite
consistent with politeness. "Perhaps," replied Skelton, for want of something better to say, and with
a callous sort of levity; "perhaps you hold the idea--some people
do--that murdered men can't rest in their graves until their murderers
have expiated their guilt?" Marston made no reply, but shot two or three lurid glances from under his
brow at the speaker. "Well, then, at all events," continued Skelton, indolently resuming his
theme, "if you decline your assistance, may I, at least, hope for your
advice? Knowing nothing of this country, I would ask you whither you
would recommend me to have the body conveyed?" "I don't care to advise in the matter," said Marston; "but if I were
directing, I should have the remains buried in Chester. It is not more
than twenty miles from this; and if, at any future time, his family
should desire to remove the body, it could be effected more easily from
thence. But you can decide." "Egad! I believe you are right," said Skelton, glad to be relieved of the
trouble of thinking about the matter; "and I shall take your advice." In accordance with this declaration the body was, within four-and-twenty
hours, removed to Chester, and buried there, Mr. Skelton attending on
behalf of Sir Wynston's numerous and afflicted friends and relatives.