by G. A. Henty
CHAPTER XV.
VERY BAD NEWS.
A month passed. Tom Roberts and Andrew watched together in JermynStreet, the former with a cap pulled well down over his face and verytattered clothes, the latter dressed as a groom, but making no attemptto disguise his face. During that time everyone who called at the housein Jermyn Street was followed, and their names and addressesascertained, one always remaining in Jermyn Street while the other wasaway. The man they were watching had gone out every evening, but it waseither to one or the other of the clubs to which he belonged, or to thetheater or opera.
"You will trace him to the right place presently, Roberts," Hilda saidcheerfully, when she saw that he was beginning to be disheartened at thenon-success of his search. "You may be sure that he will not go to seethese men oftener than he can help. Does he generally wear eveningclothes?"
"Always, miss."
"I don't think there is any occasion to follow him in future when hegoes out in that dress; I think it certain that when he goes to meetthese men he will be in disguise. When you see him come out dressedaltogether differently to usual, follow him closely. Even if we onlyfind where he goes it will be a very important step."
* * * * *
On the seventh week after the disappearance of Walter, Mr. Pettigrewcame in one morning at eleven o'clock. His air was very grave.
"Have you heard news, Mr. Pettigrew?" Hilda asked.
"I have very bad news. Mr. Comfrey, a lawyer of not the higheststanding, who is, I have learnt, acting for this fellow, called uponme. He said, 'I am sorry to say that I have some painful news to giveyou, Mr. Pettigrew. Yesterday the body of a child, a boy some six orseven years old, was found in the canal at Paddington. It was taken tothe lockhouse. The features were entirely unrecognizable, and the policesurgeon who examined it said that it had been in the water over a month.Most of its clothing was gone, partly torn off by barges passing overthe body; but there still remained a portion of its underclothing, andthis bore the letters W. R. The police recognized them as those of thechild who has been so largely advertised for, and, as my client, Mr.Simcoe, had offered a thousand pounds reward, and as all information wasto be sent to me, a policeman came down, just as I was closing theoffice, to inform me of the fact.
"'I at once communicated with my client, who was greatly distressed. Hewent to Paddington the first thing this morning, and he tells me that hehas no doubt whatever that the remains are those of Walter Rivington,although he could not swear to his identity, as the features arealtogether unrecognizable. As I understand, sir, that you and MissCovington were the guardians of this unfortunate child, I have drivenhere at once in order that you may go up and satisfy yourselves on thesubject. I understand that an inquest will be held to-morrow.'"
Hilda had not spoken while Mr. Pettigrew was telling his story, but satspeechless with horror.
"It cannot be; surely it cannot be!" she murmured. "Oh, Mr. Pettigrew!say that you cannot believe it."
"I can hardly say that, my dear; the whole affair is such a terrible onethat I can place no bounds whatever to the villainy of which this manmay be capable. This may be the missing child, but, on the other hand,it may be only a part of the whole plot."
"But who else can it be if it has Walter's clothes on?"
"As to that I can say nothing; but you must remember that this man is anextraordinarily adroit plotter, and would hesitate at nothing to securethis inheritance. There would be no very great difficulty in obtainingfrom some rascally undertaker the body of a child of the right age,dressing him up in some of our ward's clothes, and dropping the bodyinto the canal, which may have been done seven weeks ago, or may havebeen done but a month. Of course I do not mean to say that this was so.I only mean to say that it is possible. No. I expressed my opinion, whenwe talked it over before, that no sensible man would put his neck in anoose if he could carry out his object without doing so; and murdercould hardly be perpetrated without running a very great risk, for thepeople with whom the child was placed would, upon missing it suddenly,be very likely to suspect that it had been made away with, and wouldeither denounce the crime or extort money by holding a threat over hishead for years."
"Yes, that may be so!" Hilda exclaimed, rising to her feet. "Let us goand see at once. I will take Netta with me; she knows him as well as Ido."
She ran upstairs and in a few words told Netta the news, and in fiveminutes they came down, ready to start.
"I have told Walter's nurse to come with us," Hilda said. "If anyone canrecognize the child she ought to be able to do so. Fortunately, she isstill in the house."
"Now, young ladies," the lawyer said before they started, "let mecaution you, unless you feel a moderate certainty that this child isWalter Rivington, make no admission whatever that you see anyresemblance. If the matter comes to a trial, your evidence and minecannot but weigh with the court as against that of this man who isinterested in proving its identity with Walter. Of course, if there isany sign or mark on the body that you recognize, you will acknowledge itas the body of our ward. We shall then have to fight the case on othergrounds. But unless you detect some unmistakable mark, and it isextremely unlikely that you will do so in the state the body must be in,confine yourself to simply stating that you fail to recognize it in anyway."
"There never was any mark on the poor child's body," Hilda said. "I haveregretted it so much, because, in the absence of any descriptive marks,the chance of his ever being found was, of course, much lessened."
The lawyer had come in a four-wheeled cab, and in this the party alltook their places. Not a word was spoken on the way, except that Hildarepeated what Mr. Pettigrew had said to the nurse. It was with verywhite faces that they entered the lockhouse. The little body was lyingon a board supported by two trestles. It was covered by a piece ofsailcloth, and the tattered garments that it had had on were placed on achair beside it. Prepared as she was for something dreadful, the roomswam round, and had Hilda not been leaning on Mr. Pettigrew's arm shewould have fallen. There was scarce a semblance of humanity in thelittle figure. The features of the face had been entirely obliterated,possibly by the passage of barges, possibly by the work of simple decay.
"Courage, my dear!" Mr. Pettigrew said. "It is a painful duty, but itmust be performed."
The three women stood silent beside the little corpse. Netta was thefirst to speak.
"I cannot identify the body as that of Walter Rivington," she said. "Idon't think that it would be possible for anyone to do so."
"Is the hair of the same color?" the policeman who was in charge of theroom asked.
"The hair is rather darker than his," Netta said; "but being so long inthe water, and in such dirty water, it might have darkened."
"That was never Master Walter's hair!" the nurse exclaimed. "The darlinghad long, soft hair, and unless those who murdered him cut it short, itwould not be like this. Besides, this hair is stiffer. It is more likethe hair of a workhouse child than Master Walter's."
"That is so," Hilda said. "I declare that I not only do not recognizethe body as that of my ward, but that I am convinced it is not his."
"Judging only by the hair," Mr. Pettigrew said, "I am entirely of youropinion, Miss Covington. I have stroked the child's head many times, andhis hair was like silk. I have nothing else to go by, and am convincedthat the body is not Walter Rivington's."
They then looked at the fragments of clothes. In two places they weremarked "W. R."
"That is my marking, miss," the nurse said, after closely examining theinitials. "I could not swear to the bits of clothes, but I can to theletters. You see, miss, I always work a line above the letters andanother below them. I was taught to do it so when I was a girl in ourvillage school, and I have always done it since. But I never saw anyoneelse mark them so. You see the letters are worked in red silk, and thetwo lines in white. The old woman who taught us said that it made aproper finish to the work. Yes, Miss Covington, I can swear to thesethings being Master Wal
ter's."
"You could not swear to their being those in which he went out themorning he was lost, nurse?"
"I can, sir, because there is nothing missing except what he had on. Ihave all his things properly counted, and everything is there."
At this moment there was a little stir outside, and Hilda glanced downand whispered to Netta:
"Let down your fall; I do not want this man to recognize you."
Just as she did so John Simcoe entered. He bowed to Hilda.
"I am sorry, indeed, to meet you under such painful circumstances."
"I beg you not to address me, sir," she said haughtily. "I wish to haveno communication with or from you. Your coming here reminds me of thethirty-seventh verse of the nineteenth chapter of St. John. You can lookit out, sir, if you happen to have a Bible at home. Fortunately it isnot wholly applicable, for we are all absolutely convinced that thispoor little body is not that of General Mathieson's grandson."
So saying she stepped out of the little house, followed by the others;leaving John Simcoe white with passion.
"You should not have shown your hand so plainly, Miss Covington."
"I could not help it," the girl said. "He has called a dozen times atthe house and has always received the message, 'Not at home,' and hemust know that I suspect him of being Walter's abductor."
"What is the verse you referred him to, Hilda?" Netta said. "I confessthat I do not know any verse in St. John that seems to be at allapplicable to him."
"The quotation is, 'They shall look on Him whom they pierced.'"
Netta could not help smiling. Mr. Pettigrew shook his head.
"You are really too outspoken, Miss Covington, and you will get yourselfinto trouble. As it is, you have clearly laid yourself open to an actionfor libel for having practically called the man a murderer. We may thinkwhat we like, but we are in no position to prove it."
"I am not afraid of that," she said. "I wish that he would do it; thenwe should have all the facts brought out in court, and, even if we couldnot, as you say, prove everything, we could at least let the world knowwhat we think. No, there is no chance of his doing that, Mr. Pettigrew."
"It is fortunate for us, Miss Covington, that our clients are for themost part men. Your sex are so impetuous and so headstrong that weshould have a hard time of it indeed if we had to take our instructionsfrom them."
"Mr. Pettigrew, you will please remember that there are three of my sexin this cab, and if you malign us in this way we will at once get outand walk."
The old lawyer smiled indulgently.
"It is quite true, my dear. Women are always passionately certain thatthey are right, and neither counsel nor entreaty can get them tobelieve that there can be any other side to a case than that which theytake. Talk about men ruining themselves by litigation; the number thatdo so is as nothing to that of the women who would do so, were they toget as often involved in lawsuits! When Dickens drew the man who hauntedthe courts he would have been much nearer the mark had he drawn thewoman who did so. You can persuade a man that when he has been beaten inevery court his case is a lost one; but a woman simply regards a hostiledecision as the effect either of great partiality or of incompetence onthe part of the judge, and even after being beaten in the House of Lordswill attend the courts and pester the judges with applications for thehearing of some new points. It becomes a perfect mania with some ofthem."
"Very well, Mr. Pettigrew. I would certainly carry my case up to thehighest court, and if I were beaten I would not admit that I was in thewrong; still, I do not think that I should pester the poor old judgesafter that. I suppose we shall all have to come up again to-morrow tothe inquest?"
"Certainly. Nurse has recognized the clothes, and I suppose you allrecognize the marks, Miss Covington?"
"Yes; I have no doubt whatever that the clothes are Walter's."
"Of course we shall be represented by counsel," Mr. Pettigrew went on."We must not let the jury find that this is Walter's body if we canpossibly prevent it."
"You think that they will do so?"
"I am afraid of it. They will know nothing of the real circumstances ofthe case; they will only know that the child has been missing for nearlytwo months, and that, in spite of large rewards, no news has beenobtained of him. They will see that this child is about the same age,that the clothes in which it was found are those worn by the missingboy. They will themselves have viewed the body and have seen thatidentification is almost impossible. This man will give his evidence tothe effect that he believes it to be Walter Rivington's body. We shallgive it as our opinion that it is not; that opinion being founded uponthe fact that the few patches of hair left on the head are shorter andcoarser than this was. To us this may appear decisive, but the counselwho will, no doubt, appear for Simcoe, will very legitimately say thisfact has no weight, and will point out that no real judgment can beformed upon this. The child was missing--probably stolen for the sake ofits clothes. Seeing the description in the handbills and placards, thefirst step would be to cut off its hair, which disposes of the questionof length, and, as he will point out, hair which, when very long, seemssoft and silky, will stand up and appear almost bristly when croppedclose to the head. I am afraid that, in the face of all that we can say,the coroner's jury will find that the body is Walter's. As to the causeof death they will probably give an open verdict, for even if thesurgeon has found any signs of violence upon the body, these may havebeen inflicted by passing barges long after death."
"Will you have it brought forward that Simcoe has an interest in provingthe body to be Walter's?"
"I think not. There would be no use in beginning the fight in thecoroner's court. It will all have to be gone into when he applies to thehigher courts for an order on the trustees of the will to proceed tocarry out its provisions. Then our case will be fully gone into. Weshall plead that in the first place the will was made under undueinfluence. We shall point to the singularity of the General's mysteriousattack, an attack which one of the doctors who attended him at once putdown to poison, and that at the moment of the attack Simcoe was sittingnext to him at dinner. We shall point to the extraordinary coincidencethat the child who stood between Simcoe and the inheritance disappearedon the evening when the General was _in extremis_, and, lastly, we shallfire our last shot by declaring that the man is not the John Simcoenamed in the will, but is an impostor who assumed his name and tradedupon his brave action on the General's behalf.
"But I do not want the fight to begin until we are in a better positionthan at present to prove what we say. As yet, however satisfactory tous, we have not got beyond the point of conjecture and probabilities,and I trust that, before we have to fight the case, we shall obtain someabsolute facts in support of our theory. The man would be able atpresent to put into court a number of highly respectable witnesses fromStowmarket, and of officers he has met here, who would all testify tohis being John Simcoe, and as against their evidence our conjectureswould literally go for nothing. No doubt you will all receive notices toattend this evening. The policeman took your names and addresses, andwill have told the officer in charge of the case the nature of theevidence you will probably give. And please remember that, in givingevidence, you must carefully abstain from saying anything that wouldlead the jury to perceive that you have any personal feeling againstSimcoe, for they would be likely to put down your declaration ofinability to recognize the body as a result of a bias against him. Donot let it be seen that there is any personal feeling in the matter atall."
The summonses arrived that evening and the next morning they drove tothe coroner's court, Miss Purcell accompanying them. They found Mr.Pettigrew awaiting them at the door.
"There is another case on before ours," he said, "and I should adviseyou to take a drive for half an hour, and, when you come back, to sit inthe carriage until I come for you. The waiting room is a stuffy littleplace, and is at present full of witnesses in the case now on, and asthat case is one of a man killed in a drunken row, they are not of acl
ass whom it is pleasant to mix with."
When they returned, he again came out. "I have just spoken to thecoroner and told him who you are, and he has kindly given permission foryou to go up to his own room. The case he has now before him may lastanother half hour."
It was just about that time when Mr. Pettigrew came up and said thattheir case was about to commence, and that they must go down and taketheir places in court. This was now almost empty; a few minutes beforeit had been crowded by those interested in the proceedings, which hadterminated in the finding of manslaughter against four of thoseconcerned in the fray. The discovery of a child's body in the canal wasfar too common an event to afford any attraction, and with the exceptionof the witnesses, two counsel seated in the front line facing thecoroner, and two or three officials, there was no one in court. As soonas the little stir caused by the return of the jury from viewing thebody had ceased, the coroner addressed them.
"We shall now, gentlemen of the jury, proceed to the case of the body ofthe child said to be that of Walter Rivington, which was found undervery strange and suspicious circumstances near this end of the canal.You will hear that the child was missing from his home in Hyde ParkGardens on the 23d of October, and for his discovery, as some of you aredoubtless aware, large sums have been offered. The day before yesterdaythe drags were used for the purpose of discovering whether anotherchild, who was lost, and who had been seen going near the bank, had beendrowned. In the course of that search this body was brought up. You havealready viewed it, gentlemen. Dr. MacIlvaine will tell you that it hascertainly been a month in the water, perhaps two or three weeks longer.Unfortunately the state of the body is such that it is impossible now toascertain the cause of death, or whether it was alive when it fell in,or was placed in, the water. Fortunately some of its clothes stillremain on the body, and one of the witnesses, the nurse of the missingboy, will tell you that the marks upon them were worked by herself, andthat she can swear to them. Whether any other matters will come beforeyou in reference to the case, which, from the fact that the child wasgrandson of the late General Mathieson and heir to his property, hasattracted much attention, I cannot say. The first witness you will hearis the lock-keeper, who was present at the finding of the body."
Before the witness was called, however, one of the counsel rose andsaid:
"I am instructed, sir, to appear to watch the proceedings on behalf ofMr. John Simcoe, who, by the death of Walter Rivington, inherits underthe will of the late General Mathieson."
The coroner bowed. The other counsel then rose.
"And I, sir, have been instructed by Mr. Pettigrew and ColonelBulstrode, the trustees under the will, the former gentleman being alsojoint guardian with Miss Hilda Covington of the missing child, to watchthe case on their behalf."
There was again an exchange of bows, and the lock-keeper then enteredthe box. His evidence was given in few words. He simply deposed toassisting in dragging the canal, and to the finding of the body.
"Have you any questions to ask the witness?" the coroner said, turningto the barristers.
The counsel employed by Mr. Pettigrew rose.
"Yes, sir; I have a few questions to ask. Now, Mr. Cousins, you say thatyou took part in dragging the canal. You are in charge of the drags, areyou not?"
"Yes, sir; they are always kept in readiness at the lockhouse."
"How came you to use the drags? I suppose you don't take them down andspend a day or two in dragging the canal unless you have reason forsupposing that a body is there."
"No, sir. The afternoon before a woman came up crying and said that herchild had fallen into the water. He had gone out in the morning to play,and when dinner-time came and he didn't return she searched everywherefor him, and two children had just told her that they were playing withhim on the bank of the canal, and that he had fallen in. They tried toget him out, but he sank, and they were so frightened that they ran homewithout saying anything. But they thought now that they had better tell.I said that she had better go to the police station and repeat herstatement, and they would send a constable to help me. She did that, andcame back with the policeman. It was getting late then, but we took aboat and dragged the canal for two or three hours. The next morning shecame again, and said that the boys had shown her just where her childfell in, and we dragged there and found this body. We brought it ashore,and after we had carried it to the lockhouse we set to work again, butcould not find any other body."
"What became of the woman?"
"She was with us till we fetched up this body. When she saw it she ranaway crying, and did not come back again."
"You have not seen her since, Mr. Cousins?"
"No, sir; I have not seen her since. I believe the constable madeinquiries about her."
"Thank you, I have nothing more to ask."
The policeman then entered the box and gave his evidence shortly, as toassisting in the operation of dragging and to finding the body.
"About this woman who gave the alarm," the barrister asked. "Have youseen her, constable?"
"No, sir; not since the body was found. Thinking it strange that she didnot come back, I reported it at the station. She had given the name ofMary Smith and an address in Old Park. I was told to go round there, butno such person was known, and no one had heard of a child being lost. Onmy reporting this, inquiries were made all round the neighborhood; butno one had heard of such a woman, nor of a missing child."
"This is a very strange circumstance, sir, and it looks as if the wholestory of the drowning child was a fabrication. The fact that the body ofthe child whose death we are considering was found close to the spotwould certainly seem to point to the fact that some person or personswho were cognizant of the fact that this body was there were for somereasons anxious that it should be found, and so employed this woman toget the drags used at that point in order that the body might be broughtto light."
"It is certainly a very strange business," the coroner said, "and I hopethat the police will spare no efforts to discover this woman. However,as she is not before us, we must proceed with the case."
Then the officer of the court called out the name of Mary Summerford,and the nurse went into the witness box.
"I understand, Mary Sommerford, that you were nurse to WalterRivington?"
"I was, sir."
"Will you tell the jury when you last saw him, and how it was that hewas lost?"
She told the story as she had told it to Hilda on the day that he wasmissing.
"You have seen the clothes found on the body. Do you recognize them asthose that he was wearing when you last saw him?"
"Yes, sir."
"How do you recognize them?"
"Because his initials are worked in two places. I worked them myself,and can swear to them."
"You cannot recognize the body, nurse?"
"I do not believe it is the body of my young master," she said; "hishair was lovely--long and silky. What hair remains on the body is veryshort, and what I should call stubbly."
"But the hair might have been cut short by the people who stole him,"the coroner said. "It is the first precaution they would take to evadethe search that would at once be set on foot."
"Yes, sir, but I don't think that it would have grown up so stiff."
"My experience of workhouse children," the coroner remarked, "is thatwhatever the hair they may have had when they entered the house, it isstiff enough to stand upright when cut close to the head. There isnothing else, is there, which leads you to doubt the identity of thechild?"
"No, sir, I cannot say that there is; but I don't believe that it isMaster Walter's body."
Hilda, Netta, and Mr. Pettigrew all gave their evidence. The two formerstated that they identified the clothes, but, upon the same ground asthe nurse, they failed to recognize the body as that of WalterRivington. All were asked if they could in any way account for thefinding of the child's body there. The question had been foreseen, andthey said that, although they had used every means of discoverin
g thechild, they had obtained no clew whatever as to his whereabouts from thetime that he was stolen to the time they were summoned to identify thebody.
"You quite assume that he was stolen, and not that he wandered away, aschildren will do when their nurses are gossiping?"
"We are convinced that he was stolen, sir, because the search was begunso momentarily after he was missed that he could hardly have got out ofsight, had he merely wandered away on foot. Notice was given to thepolice an hour after he disappeared, and every street in this part ofLondon was scoured immediately."
"Children of that age, Miss Covington, have often a fancy for hidingthemselves; and this child may have hidden somewhere close until he sawhis nurse pass by, and then made off in the opposite direction. The spotwhere the child's body was found is little more than a quarter of a milefrom the corner where he was missed. He might have wandered up there,found himself on the canal bank, and childlike, have begun to play, andso slipped into the water."
John Simcoe was the last witness called. He gave his evidence to theeffect that he had seen the body, and that personally he saw no reasonto doubt that it was that of Walter Rivington.
His counsel then rose.
"You are, I believe, Mr. Simcoe, owing to the death of this poor child,the principal legatee under the will of General Mathieson?"
"I am sorry to say that I am. The whole business has caused me immensedistress. I have felt that, being the only person that would benefit bythe child's death, those who did not know me would have a suspicion thatI might have had a hand in his mysterious disappearance."
"You have taken an active part in the search for him?"
"I offered a reward of one thousand pounds for any information thatwould lead to his discovery, and I believe that I have traveled up anddown every obscure slum in London in hopes of lighting upon him."
"Even without the provision in the will which made you next heir youbenefited by it, did you not?"
"I did, most munificently. General Mathieson had himself informed methat I should find, by his will, that he had not been ungrateful for aservice that I rendered him many years ago; but I was not aware of thesum that he had left me. As to the distant contingency of inheriting incase of the child's death, I was altogether ignorant of it; but had Iknown it, it would in no way have affected me. The little fellow was afine healthy child, and, therefore, the thought that he might not liveto come of age would never have entered my mind."
As the other counsel had no question to ask, the evidence was nowconcluded.
"Well, gentlemen, you have heard the evidence," the coroner said. "Dr.MacIlvaine has told you, as indeed you might judge for yourselves onviewing the body, that it is impossible, in its advanced state ofdecomposition, to say whether the child was alive or dead at the time hefell, or was placed in the canal. As to who were the guilty persons whobeguiled the child away, if he was beguiled, we have no shadow ofevidence, and it may well be that he was stolen for the sake of hisclothes. The cutting short of his hair certainly points to the truth ofthis theory, as does also the fact that no vestige has been found of hisupper clothing. It is probable that some woman enticed him away, andkept him for some time with her, and then, when she became alarmed bythe search made for him, carried him in his sleep from the house, andperhaps laid him down by the canal, thinking that he would be foundthere in the morning, and that the poor child awoke in the dark,wandered about, and fell into the canal.
"However, this is only theory; but it is at least supported by themysterious incident of the unknown woman who, by means of a tale whichappears beyond doubt to have been wholly fictitious, caused the water atthat spot to be dragged. The fact that on the second day she pointed outalmost the exact point where the body was found would seem to show thatthe child could scarcely have fallen in the water, as she suggested, forin that case she could not have known the precise spot. It would seem,then, more likely that either the child died a natural death, perhapsfrom confinement or bad treatment, or possibly that, terribly alarmed atthe search that was being maintained, he was put out of the way and thenthrown into the canal at this spot. In that case we may admit that it iscertainly strange that she should risk discovery by the course she took,and I can only account for it on the ground that she had been, eversince his death, suffering from remorse, and possibly she may havethought that she might in some sort of way atone for her conduct wereshe to point out where the child was, and so secure for him Christianburial. That, however, is not before us at present, and I see noadvantage in an adjournment for an indefinite time until this mystery issolved. The police have taken the matter in hand, and will spare nopains to discover the woman. If they do so, undoubtedly proceedings willbe taken in another court. The point that we have to consider is whothis child was, and how he came to his death. Unfortunately we areabsolutely without any evidence of what became of him from the time hegot lost up to the discovery of his body, and I think that you cannot dootherwise than find an open verdict.
"As to the question of identity, there can, I think, be no shadow ofdoubt. The clothes in which he was found prove him beyond question tohave been Walter Rivington, although the body itself is absolutelybeyond identification. I do not think that you need give any weight tothe nurse's failure to recognize him, or to her opinion about the hair.She is naturally reluctant to acknowledge, even to herself, that thechild which was lost by her inadvertence is dead, and the ladies wouldbe equally reluctant to admit that all hope was over."
The jury put their heads together, and there was evidently no differenceof opinion, for in two or three minutes they sat down again and theforeman stood up.
"You have decided on your verdict?" the coroner asked.
"We have, sir. We find that the body is that of Walter Rivington, andthat he was found dead in the canal, but how he came there and by whatmeans he came by his death, there is no evidence to show."
"Thank you, gentlemen; that is precisely the verdict that I shouldmyself have given."