第70章

"Confronted with these discrepancies， the gentleman who had taught the Sunchild our language was convinced of his mistake， though he still maintained that there was some superficial likeness between his former pupil and the prisoner. Here he was confirmed by the Master of the Gaol， the Mayoress， Mrs. Humdrum， and Professors Hanky and Panky， who all of them could see what the interpreter meant， but denied that the prisoner could be mistaken for the Sunchild for more than a few seconds. No doubt the prisoner's unhappy delusion has been fostered， if not entirely caused， by his having been repeatedly told that he was like the Sunchild. The celebrated Dr. Downie， who well remembers the Sunchild， was also examined， and gave his evidence with so much convincing detail as to make it unnecessary to call further witnesses.

"It having been thus once for all officially and authoritatively placed on record that the prisoner was not the Sunchild， Professors Hanky and Panky then identified him as a well known monomaniac on the subject of Sunchildism， who in other respects was harmless. We withhold his name and place of abode， out of consideration for the well known and highly respectable family to which he belongs. The prisoner admitted with much contrition that he had made a disturbance in the temple， but pleaded that he had been carried away by the eloquence of Professor Hanky； he promised to avoid all like offence in future， and threw himself on the mercy of the court.

"The Mayor， unwilling that Sunday's memorable ceremony should be the occasion of a serious punishment to any of those who took part in it， reprimanded the prisoner in a few severe but not unkindly words， inflicted a fine of forty shillings， and ordered that the prisoner should be taken directly to the temple， where he should confess his folly to the Manager and Head Cashier， and confirm his words by kissing the reliquary in which the newly found relic has been placed. The prisoner being unable to pay the fine， some of the ladies and gentlemen in court kindly raised the amount amongst them， in pity for the poor creature's obvious contrition， rather than see him sent to prison for a month in default of payment.

"The prisoner was then conducted to the temple， followed by a considerable number of people. Strange to say， in spite of the overwhelming evidence that they had just heard， some few among the followers， whose love of the marvellous overpowered their reason， still maintained that the prisoner was the Sunchild. Nothing could be more decorous than the prisoner's behaviour when， after hearing the recantation that was read out to him by the Manager， he signed the document with his name and address， which we again withhold， and kissed the reliquary in confirmation of his words.

"The Mayor then declared the prisoner to be at liberty. When he had done so he said， 'I strongly urge you to place yourself under my protection for the present， that you may be freed from the impertinent folly and curiosity of some whose infatuation might lead you from that better mind to which I believe you are now happily restored. I wish you to remain for some few hours secluded in the privacy of my own study， where Dr. Downie and the two excellent Professors will administer that ghostly counsel to you， which will be likely to protect you from any return of your unhappy delusion.'

"The man humbly bowed assent， and was taken by the Mayor's younger sons to the Mayor's own house， where he was duly cared for. About midnight， when all was quiet， he was conducted to the outskirts of the town towards Clearwater， and furnished with enough money to provide for his more pressing necessities till he could reach some relatives who reside three or four days' walk down on the road towards the capital. He desired the man who accompanied him to repeat to the Mayor his heartfelt thanks for the forbearance and generosity with which he had been treated. The remembrance of this， he said， should be ever present with him， and he was confident would protect him if his unhappy monomania shewed any signs of returning.

"Let us now， however， remind our readers that the poacher who threatened Professors Hanky and Panky's life on Thursday evening last is still at large. He is evidently a man of desperate character， and it is to be hoped that our fellow-citizens will give immediate information at the Ranger's office if they see any stranger in the neighbourhood of the preserves whom they may have reasonable grounds for suspecting.

"P.S.--As we are on the point of going to press we learn that a dangerous lunatic， who has been for some years confined in the Clearwater asylum， succeeded in escaping on the night of Wednesday last， and it is surmised with much probability， that this was the man who threatened the two Professors on Thursday evening. His being alone， his having dared to light a fire， probably to cook quails which he had been driven to kill from stress of hunger， the respectability of his dress， and the fury with which he would have attacked the two Professors single-handed， but for Professor Hanky's presence of mind in giving him a knock-down blow， all point in the direction of thinking that he was no true poacher， but， what is even more dangerous--a madman at large. We have not received any particulars as to the man's appearance， nor the clothes he was wearing， but we have little doubt that these will confirm the surmise to which we now give publicity. If it is correct it becomes doubly incumbent on all our fellow-citizens to be both on the watch， and on their guard.

"We may add that the man was fully believed to have taken the direction towards the capital； hence no attempts were made to look for him in the neighbourhood of Sunch'ston， until news of the threatened attack on the Professors led the keeper of the asylum to feel confident that he had hitherto been on a wrong scent."第一章