His clothing
was dusty, however, as from travel. He had, in fact,
been riding hard to attend the inquest.
The coroner nodded; no one else greeted him.
'We have waited for you,' said the coroner.' It
is necessary to have done with this business to-night.'
The young man smiled. 'I am sorry to have kept
you,' he said. 'I went away, not to evade your
summons, but to post to my newspaper an account
of what I suppose I am called back to relate.'
The coroner smiled.
'The account that you posted to your newspaper,'
he said, 'differs, probably, from that which you
will give here under oath.'
'That,' replied the other, rather hotly and with
a visible flush, 'is as you please. I used manifold
paper and have a copy of what I sent. It was not
written as news, for it is incredible, but as fiction.
It may go as a part of my testimony under oath.'
'But you say it is incredible.'
'That is nothing to you, sir, if I also swear that
it is true.'
The coroner was silent for a time, his eyes upon
the floor. The men about the sides of the cabin talked
in whispers, but seldom withdrew their gaze from
the face of the corpse. Presently the coroner lifted
his eyes and said: 'We will resume the inquest.'
The men removed their hats. The witness was
sworn.
'What is your name? ' the coroner asked.
'William Harker.'
'Age? '
'Twenty-seven.'
'You knew the deceased, Hugh Morgan?'
'Yes.
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