of all the honours conferred during the century, Sir Jasper
Chambers' O.M. had alone been earned, the others had been either
bought or wangled.

The McMurray Murder was the sensation of the hour. The newspapers
had "stunted" it, and the public, always eager for gruesome
sensation, had welcomed it as if it had been a Mary Pickford film.

Four days 'previously, Professor James McMurray of Gorling, in Essex,
had been found dead in his laboratory, his head fearfully battered
in by some blunt instrument.

It was the professor's custom, when engaged upon important research
work, to retire, sometimes for days at a time, to a laboratory he
had built in his own grounds.

Meals were passed through a small wicket, specially constructed for
that purpose in the laboratory wall, and the professor's servants
had the most explicit instructions on no account to disturb him.

A fortnight previously Professor McMurray had retired to his
laboratory to carry out an important series of experiments. He
informed his butler that Sir Jasper Chambers, his life-long friend,
would visit him on the third day, and that dinner for two was to be
supplied in the usual way, through the wicket.

On the evening in question, Sir Jasper Chambers had arrived and
stayed until a little past nine. He then left the laboratory and
proceeded to the house, where he told the butler that his master was
quite well, and that in all probability his researches would occupy
him another week.

Eight days later, when the butler took the professor's luncheon down
to the laboratory, he noticed that the breakfast-tray had not been
removed from the shelf just inside the wicket. Convinced that the
professor had been so absorbed in his researches that he had
forgotten the meal, the butler placed the luncheon-tray beside that
containing the breakfast, thinking it better to leave the earlier
meal as a reminder to the professor of his forgetfulness.

At dinner-time the butler was greatly surprised to find that both
breakfast and luncheon had remained as he had left them; still,
remembering how definite and insistent the professor had been that
he was not to be disturbed, the butler had, after consulting with
the housekeeper, decided to do nothing for the moment, and contented
himself with ringing several times the electric-bell that was the
signal of another meal.

An hour later he went once more to the wicket, only to discover that
nothing had been touched. Hurrying back