Mrs. Hale's funeral takes place and Margaret is touched to see that Nicholas Higgins and Mary are there. Mr. Thornton is also in attendance, though he stays well back so that his presence is not noticed.
Because of the presence of Leonards in Milton, it is necessary for Frederick to leave before his mother's funeral. He has agreed however to meet with Henry Lennox to discuss the possibility of a legal appeal to his conviction before going back to Spain. Margaret goes with Frederick to the train station at night to avoid detection but they are observed by Mr. Thornton who, seeing Margaret out alone after dark with an unknown young man, assumes that she's with a lover. Worse, as Margaret and Frederick say goodbye, they are accosted by a drunk Leonards. He and Frederick struggle briefly and Leonards falls a short distance from the train platform. He is stunned long enough for Frederick to board the train and escape. Once in London, he sends word to Margaret and his father that he will be delayed there for a couple days because Lennoxs was out of town when he arrived. Mrs. Hale's funeral takes place and Margaret is touched to see that Nicholas Higgins and Mary are there. Mr. Thornton is also in attendance, though he stays well back so that his presence is not noticed. Soon after the funeral, Thornton calls to express his sympathy to Mr. Hale and Margaret. Her obvious distress softens his attitude towards her, but soon after he arrives, Margaret is called out of the room by Dixon, who tells her that a police inspector is asking to see her. She fears that Frederick has been caught, but the inspector is actually there because Leonards has been found dead. The cause of his death was his heavy drinking, but it's suspected that a fall may have hastened his end slightly. A local tradesman who witnessed the struggle between Leonards and Frederick tells the inspector that Leonards was the instigator, but also identifies Margaret as being present. The inspector questions her about the incident and Margaret, not knowing if Frederick is safely out of England yet, panics and denies having been there. The inspector tells her that, if the witness persists in his identification of her, she may be called to testify at the inquest. After he leaves, the stress of her mother's death, Frederick's secret visit, and now this situation, finally breaks Margaret and she collapses in a faint on the floor of the study. Meanwhile, unaware of Margaret's condition, Mr. Thornton comforts Mr. Hale to the best of his ability and then takes his leave. The inspector brings the case to Mr. Thornton who is the local magistrate. Thornton is shocked by Margaret's statement since he knows that she was indeed at the station on the evening in question. He doesn't want trouble for her or her father, though, and since Leonard's death was not directly caused by his fall, Thornton dismisses the case. Margaret is relieved to hear from the inspector the following day that there will be no inquest, but dismayed to find out that Mr. Thornton was the magistrate involved. Already repenting her lie, her shame is compounded by the knowledge that Mr. Thornton is aware of it and will think the worst. She feels even worse when a letter arrives from Frederick and she realizes that he has already left England, so her lie was unnecessary. (To Be Continued...)
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