interrupting you."

"No, not at all," replied Miss Bellingham (which was grossly untrue; he
was interrupting _me_ most intolerably); "we were going to the British
Museum and just looked in here on our way."

"Ha," said Mr. Jellicoe, "now, I happen to be going to the Museum too,
to see Doctor Norbury. I suppose that is another coincidence?"

"Certainly it is," Miss Bellingham replied; and then she asked: "Shall
we walk together?" and the old curmudgeon actually said "yes"--confound
him!

We returned to the Gray's Inn Road, where, as there was now room for us
to walk abreast, I proceeded to indemnify myself for the lawyer's
unwelcome company by leading the conversation back to the subject of
the missing man.

"Was there anything, Mr. Jellicoe, in Mr. John Bellingham's state of
health that would make it probable that he might die suddenly?"

The lawyer looked at me suspiciously for a few moments and then
remarked:

"You seem to be greatly interested in John Bellingham and his affairs."

"I am. My friends are deeply concerned in them, and the case itself is
of more than common interest from a professional point of view."

"And what is the bearing of this particular question?"

"Surely it is obvious," said I. "If a missing man is known to have
suffered from some affection, such as heart disease, aneurism, or
arterial degeneration, likely to produce sudden death, that fact will
surely be highly material to the question as to whether he is probably
dead or alive."

"No doubt you are right," said Mr. Jellicoe. "I have little knowledge
of medical affairs, but doubtless you are right. As to the question
itself, I am Mr. Bellingham's lawyer, not his doctor. His health is a
matter that lies outside my jurisdiction. But you heard my evidence in
Court, to the effect that the testator appeared, to my untutored
observation, to be a healthy man. I can say no more now."

"If the question is of any importance," said Miss Bellingham, "I wonder
they did not call his doctor and settle it definitely. My own
impression is that he was--or is--rather a strong and sound man. He
certainly recovered very quickly and completely after his accident."

"What accident was that?" I asked.

"Oh, hasn't my father told you? It occurred while he was staying with
us. He slipped from a curb and broke one of the bones of the left
ankle--somebody's fracture----"

"Pott's?"

"Yes; that was the name--Pott's fracture; and he broke bo