Perkwite, this is most important. Did Ashton tell
you the name of this man?"
The old lawyer was tremulous with excited interest, and Mr. Perkwite was
obviously sorry to disappoint him.
"Unfortunately, he did not!" he replied. "He merely told me that he was a
man who had lived in Melbourne for some time and had known Marketstoke
and himself very intimately--had left Melbourne just after Marketstoke's
death, and had settled in London. No, he did not mention his name."
"Disappointing!" muttered Mr. Pawle. "That's the nearest approach to a
clue that we've had, Perkwite. If we only knew who that man was!
But--what more can you tell us?"
"Nothing more, I'm afraid," answered the barrister. "I promised to call
on Ashton when I returned to London, and when he'd started housekeeping,
and we parted--I went on next morning to Genoa, and he set off for Paris.
He was a pleasant, kindly, sociable fellow," concluded Mr. Perkwite, "and
I was much grieved to hear of his sad fate."
"He didn't correspond with you at all after you left him at Marseilles?"
asked Mr. Pawle.
"No," replied the barrister. "No--I never heard of or from him until I
read of his murder.
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