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An Important Piece of Evidence
It was a humid, cloudy evening when Mr. and Mrs. Bumble turned off the main road and walked toward a shabby, decaying house built on a swamp near the river. They wore long dark cloaks to hide themselves from view. Just as they reached the house, a thunder storm struck and lightning flashed across the sky.
"Halloa there!" called Monks, coming out a door on the second story.
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| An Important Piece of Evidence |
Within minutes, Monks appeared at a small door on the main level and led them inside. They followed him up a ladder into a small room with a shuttered window and a table with three chairs.
"Let's get right down to business," said Monks, staring at Mrs. Bumble. "What did the old hag tell you the night she died?"
"What is the information worth to you?" asked Mrs. Bumble calmly.
"That depends on what you tell me." "Before I tell you anything, I'll take 25 pounds in gold!" said the lady firmly.
Mr. Bumble was amazed at his wife's daring. In fact, he was somewhat frightened. But Monks hesitated only an instant before turning over the money.
The Meeting Place.....
Then Mrs. Bumble began to speak. "Old Sally and I were alone when death came to her. She spoke of a young mother who had given birth to a baby boy in the very bed in which Sally was then lying. The child became known as a Oliver Twist."
"Go on!" said Monks with excitement.
"Old Sally robbed the mother as soon as she died. She stole what the young mother had asked with her final breath that she keep for the sake of the baby."
Let's Get Right Down to Business.....
"What was it?"
"A piece of gold jewelry."
Monks leaned forward. "What did she do with it? Sell it? Where? To whom?"
As she tried to tell me all this, she fell back and died," said Mrs. Bumble.
That's a Lie!.....
"Without saying more?" cried Monks in a rage. "That's a lie!"
She didn't say another word," said Mrs. Bumble, unafraid of the stranger's violence. "That's the honest truth. But she did grab my gown with a hand that was clutching a scrap of paper."
"What did it say?"
Monks Drops the Evidence into the Water.....
"Nothing. It was a pawnbroker's ticket," explained the woman. "Whatever she had owned, she must have pawned to get money."
"What did you do then?"
The ticket was due to be paid in two days, so I went to the pawnbroker and paid the loan plus the interest to recover the jewelry."
"Where is it now?" cried Monks excitedly.
"Right here!" said Mrs. Bumble, producing a small box. It contained a plain gold wedding ring and a little gold locket, in which were two locks of hair.
"The locket has the name 'Agnes' carved on it," added Mrs. Bumble. "There's a space left for the last name. Then comes the date, which is within a year before the child was born."
Monks seemed satisfied, and Mr. Bumble sighed in relief that he would not have to return the 25 pounds if Monks were not satisfied with the information. Suddenly Monks jumped up and threw the table aside. He opened a trap door in the wooden floor and showed his visitors swiftly flowing river below their feet. Monks placed the box and a heavy rock inside a handkerchief, tied it up, and dropped it into the water. He watched as the rock pulled it to the bottom of the river.
Get Away from Here as Fast as You Can!.....
When the box disappeared from sight, Monks closed the trap door and glared at the Bumbles. "Just remember, this secret is between the three of us," he warned. "If you tell it to anyone else, your life will be worth nothing! Now get away from here as fast as you can!"
Mr. and Mrs. Bumble were happy to go.