ane."

Dark, with smoothly-brushed hair and a toothbrush moustache, he
might easily have been passed over in a crowd without a second
glance. He was obviously and acutely nervous. His fingers moved
jerkily, and there were twitchings at the corners of his mouth that
he seemed unable to control. It was not a good-tempered mouth. He
appeared unconscious of the presence of Malcolm Sage. His eyes were
fixed upon the second car, which had just drawn up, and from which
Thompson and Dawkins were removing the photographic paraphernalia.

Peters conducted Sir James and Malcolm Sage to the dining-room,
where luncheon was laid.

"Shall I serve luncheon, Sir James?" he enquired, ignoring Dane, who
was clearly unequal to the strain of the duties of host.

Sir James looked across at Malcolm Sage, who shook his head.

"I'll see the library first," he said. "Sir James will show me.
Fetch Dawkins," he said to Thompson, and he followed Sir James
through the house out on to the lawn.

As they entered the library by the French-windows, a tall, sandy man
rose from the armchair in which he was seated. He was Inspector
Gorton of the Sussex County Constabulary. Malcolm Sage nodded a
little absently. His eyes were keenly taking in every detail of the
figure sprawling across the writing-table. The head rested on the
left cheek, and there was an ugly wound in the right temple from
which blood had dripped and congealed upon the table. In the right
hand was clutched a small, automatic pistol. The arm was slightly
curved, the weapon pointing to the left.

Having concluded his examination of the wound, Malcolm Sage drew a
silk-handkerchief from his pocket, shook out its folds and spread it
carefully over the blood-stained head of Mr. Challoner.

Sir James looked across at him, appreciation in his eyes. It was one
of those little human touches, of which he had discovered so many in
Malcolm Sage, and the heads of government departments in Whitehall
so few.

Malcolm Sage next proceeded to regard the body from every angle,
even going down on his knees to see the position of the legs beneath
the table. He then walked round the room and examined everything
with minute attention, particularly the key of the door, which Sir
James had replaced in its position on the inside. The keyhole on
both sides of the door came in for careful scrutiny.

He tried the door of a small safe at the far-end of the room; it was
locked. He then examined the fastening