an X-ray photograph."

"Ah! Indeed!" Mr. Jellicoe pondered for some moments. "Astonishing!"
he murmured; "and most ingenious. The resources of science at the
present day are truly wonderful."

"Is there anything more that you want to say?" asked Badger; "because
if you don't, time's up."

"Anything more?" Mr. Jellicoe repeated slowly; "anything more?
No--I--think--think--the time--is--up. Yes--the--the--time----"

He broke off and sat with a strange look fixed on Thorndyke.

His face had suddenly undergone a curious change. It looked shrunken
and cadaverous and his lips had assumed a peculiar cherry-red color.

"Is anything the matter, Mr. Jellicoe?" Badger asked uneasily. "Are
you not feeling well, sir?"

Mr. Jellicoe did not appear to have heard the question, for he returned
no answer, but sat motionless, leaning back in his chair, with his
hands spread out on the table and his strangely intent gaze bent on
Thorndyke.

Suddenly his head dropped on his breast and his body seemed to
collapse; and as with one accord we sprang to our feet, he slid forward
off his chair and disappeared under the table.

"Good Lord! The man's fainted!" exclaimed Badger. In a moment he was
down on his hands and knees, trembling with excitement, groping under
the table. He dragged the unconscious lawyer out into the light and
knelt over him, staring into his face.

"What's the matter with him, Doctor?" he asked, looking up at
Thorndyke. "Is it apoplexy? Or is it a heart attack, think you?"

Thorndyke shook his head, though he stooped and put his fingers on the
unconscious man's wrist.

"Prussic acid or potassium cyanide is what the appearances suggest," he
replied.

"But can't you do anything?" demanded the inspector.

Thorndyke dropped the arm, which fell limply to the floor.

"You can't do much for a dead man," he said.

"Dead! Then he has slipped through our fingers after all!"

"He has anticipated the sentence. That is all." Thorndyke spoke in an
even, impassive tone which struck me as rather strange, considering the
suddenness of the tragedy, as did also the complete absence of surprize
in his manner. He seemed to treat the occurrence as a perfectly
natural one.

Not so Inspector Badger; who rose to his feet and stood with his hands
thrust into his pockets scowling sullenly down at the dead lawyer.

"I was an infernal fool to agree to his blasted conditions," he growled
savagely.

"Nonsense," sai