Gathered In by Catherine Helen Spence — Read

When Hugh Carmichael saw the newspaper reports of Jim Oswald's death, and the arrest of his cousin Kenneth on suspicion, he felt that this was matter of grave concern to himself. Kenneth Oswald was the best card in his pack, and was all the more valuable now that Jim was cleared out of the way, by fair means or by foul. He meant to do nothing in a hurry, but to watch the current of the evidence, and see how his knowledge of Kenneth's own antecedents, of Jim Oswald's designs and of Ellerton's rage at his discovery of them could be turned to the best advantage to Hugh Carmichael.

The report of the proceedings at the inquest gave great prominence to the insults offered to Kenneth at the Crown and Sceptre by his cousin, and there Carmichael felt that one of his cards had lost its value. He could not threaten to reveal the family disgrace, if it had been made public before, so that nothing whatever could be made of that. It did not suit his game to suppose Kenneth the murderer; for Kenneth either hanged or shut up at Pentridge, could not make it worth his while to bring up a doubtful story to prove his rights as the heir to Mr. McDiarmid; but Kenneth acquitted, his uncle's heir, smarting under the sense of injury from his cousin's drunken revelations, might pay him very handsomely for putting him up to his rights. Carmichael watched the report, and the rumours that were afloat. Strange that no suspicion had ever fallen on Ellerton, who had gone that very day to the neighbourhood, and who had every cause for hating the weak and vicious young man, as Hugh Carmichael well knew.