The place named was known to him only by his brother's letter.

The men, he saw, were in a rough humour, and because of the skeleton in his closet he jumped to the thought that something had transpired concerning his brother, something that caused them to jeer.

He did not stop to think what it might be.

His moral nature stiffened itself to stand for truth and his brother at all costs.
"I know the place;" he said.
His words had a stern impressiveness which startled his hearers.

They were only playing idly with the pros and cons of a newspaper tale; but this man, it would seem, treated the matter very seriously.
Hutchins had no desire to annoy, but he did not know how to desist from further question, and, supposing that the story of Cameron was known, he said in a more ingratiating way: "Well, but, sir, you don't want us to believe the crazy tale of the station hand there, that he saw the dead walk ?" Again there was that in Trenholme's manner which astonished his hearers.