he
poor creature must have died somewhere about one o'clock of the
morning." He saw Sir Chichester with a start fall once more to reading
the paragraph in the _Harpoon_, and continued with a warmth of
admiration, "Eh, but those newspaper fellows are quick! I saw the
_Harpoon_ this morning, and it was lucky I did. For I'd ha' been on my
rounds otherwise when that young fellow called for me."

"It was good of you to come so quickly," said Sir Chichester.

"I shall charge for it," replied Dr. McKerrel. "I'll just step round to
the Peace Officer at once, and I'll be obliged if you'll not have that
glass with the chloroform touched again. I have put it aside."

Martin Hillyard was disturbed.

"There will have to be an inquest then?" he asked.

"Aye, but there wull."

"In a case of this kind," Sir Chichester suggested, "it would be better
if it could be avoided."

"But it can't," answered Dr. McKerrel bluntly. "And for my part, I tell
you frankly, Sir Chichester, I have no great pity for poor neurotic
bodies like the young lady upstairs. If she had had a little of my work
to do, she would have been too tired in the evening to think about her
worries." He looked at the disconsolate Baronet with a sudden twinkle in
his eye. "Eh, man, but you'll get all the publicity you want over this
case."

Sir Chichester had no rejoinder to the quip; and his unwonted meekness
caused McKerrel to relent. He stopped at the door, and said:

"I'll give you a hint. The coroner can cut the inquest down to the
barest necessary limits, if he has got all the facts clear beforehand.
If he has got to explore in the dark, he'll ask questions here and
questions there, and you never know, nor does he, what he's going to
drag out to light in the end. But let him have it all clear and straight
first! There's only one character I know of, more free from regulations
and limitations and red-tape than a coroner, and that's the
police-sergeant who runs the coroner. Goodday to you."

A telegram was brought to Martin Hillyard whilst McKerrel was yet
speaking; and Hillyard read it with relief. Mario Escobar had been taken
that morning as he was leaving the hotel for the morning train to
London. He was now on his way to an internment camp. So that
complication was smoothed out at all events. He agreed with Sir
Chichester Splay that it would be prudent to carry out McKerrel's
suggestion at once.

"I will make the document out," said Sir Chichester import