ld, in all probability, either
be fatal to himself, or mean the lengthening of human life."

He paused, gazing straight in front of him, ejecting smoke from his
lips in staccatoed puffs. Then he continued:

"He said that he had recently made a will, which was lying with his
solicitor, and he gave me certain additional instructions as to the
disposal of his property."

"Did he seem quite normal?" enquired Malcolm Sage, adding a pair of
formidable fangs to his reptile.

"He was calm and confident. At parting he told me I should be the
first to know the result."

"Have you any reason to believe that Professor McMurray had
enemies?" Malcolm Sage enquired.

"None," was the reply, uttered in a tone of deep conviction,
accompanied by a deliberate wagging of the head.

"He was confident of the success of his experiments?"

"Absolutely."

"And you?"

"I had no means of knowing," was the reply.

"You were his greatest friend and his only confidant?" suggested
Malcolm Sage, adding the sixth pair of legs to his creation.

"Yes."

"And you were to be the first to be told of the result of the
experiments?"

"Those were his last words to me."

There was a suggestion of emotion in Sir Jasper's otherwise even
voice.

"Can you remember his actual words?"

"Yes; I remember them," he replied sadly. "As we shook hands he said,
'Well, Chambers, you will be the first to know the result.'"

Again there was silence, broken at length by Malcolm Sage, who
stroked the back of his head with his left hand. His eyes had
returned to Sir Jasper's socks.

"Do you think the professor had been successful in his experiments?"
he enquired.

"I cannot say." Again Sir Jasper shook his head slowly and
deliberately.

"Did you see the body?"

"I did."

"Is there any truth in the rumours that he looked much younger?"

"There was certainly a marked change, a startling change," was the
reply.

"But death plays odd tricks with years," suggested Malcolm Sage, who
was now feeling the lobe of his left ear as if to assure himself of
its presence.

"True," said Sir Jasper, nodding his head as if pondering the matter
deeply. "True."

"There was an article in last month's _The Present Century_ by Sir
Kelper Jevons entitled 'The Dangers of Longevity.' Did you read it?"
enquired Malcolm Sage.

"I did."

"I read it too," broke in Sir John Dene, who had hitherto remained
an interested listener, as he sat twirling round between his li