n to the
foot-board.

"However, nothing happened until we stopped at Southampton West. There,
I need not say, we lost no time in hopping out, for we naturally
expected our friends to make a rush for the exit. But they didn't.
Badger watched the platform, and I kept a look-out to see that they
didn't slip away across the line from the off-side. But still there was
no sign of them. Then I walked up the train to the compartment which I
had seen them enter. And there they were, apparently fast asleep in the
corner by the off-side window, the man leaning back with his mouth open
and the woman resting against him with her head on his shoulder. She
gave me quite a turn when I went in to look at them, for she had her
eyes half-closed and seemed to be looking round at me with a most
horrible expression; but I found afterwards that the peculiar appearance
of looking round was due to the cast in her eye."

"They were dead, I suppose?" said Thorndyke.

"Yes, sir. Stone dead; and I found these on the floor of the carriage."

He held up two tiny yellow glass tubes, each labelled "Hypodermic
tabloids. Aconitine Nitrate gr. 1/640."

"Ha!" exclaimed Thorndyke, "this fellow was well up in alkaloidal
poisons, it seems; and they appear to have gone about prepared for
emergencies. These tubes each contained twenty tabloids, a thirty-second
of a grain altogether, so we may assume that about twelve times the
medicinal dose was swallowed. Death must have occurred in a few minutes,
and a merciful death too."

"A more merciful death than they deserved," exclaimed Stephen, "when one
thinks of the misery and suffering that they inflicted on poor old uncle
Jeffrey. I would sooner have had them hanged."

"It's better as it is, sir," said Miller. "There is no need, now, to
raise any questions in detail at the inquest. The publicity of a trial
for murder would have been very unpleasant for you. I wish Dr. Jervis
had given the tip to me instead of to that confounded,
over-cautious--but there, I mustn't run down my brother officers: and
it's easy to be wise after the event.

"Good night, gentlemen. I suppose this accident disposes of your
business as far as the will is concerned?"

"I suppose it does," agreed Mr. Winwood. "But I shall enter a caveat,
all the same."

THE END

End of Project Gutenberg's The Mystery of 31 New Inn, by R. Austin Freeman

*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE MYSTERY OF 31 NEW INN ***

*