address to the jury
adduced the incident as proof of a passing mental disturbance.

"Very probably," said the coroner, "there was some problem that had
worried him, and that he was still endeavouring to work out. As you are
aware, gentlemen, the sign _X_ is used to symbolise the unknown
quantity."

An appropriate verdict was accordingly returned, and the Professor was
duly interred in the same family vault as that in which so short a time
previously his cousin had been laid to rest.

II

THE ARMLESS MAN

I first met Bob Masters in the hotel at a place called Fourteen Streams,
not very far from Kimberley.

I had for some months been trying to find gold or diamonds by digging
holes in the veldt. But since this has little or nothing to do with the
story, I pass by my mining adventures and come back to the hotel. I came
to it very readily that afternoon, for I was very thirsty.

A tall man standing at the bar turned his head as I entered and said
"Good-day" to me. I returned the compliment, but took no particular
notice of him at first.

Suddenly I heard the man say to the barman:

"I'm ready for another drink."

That surprised me, because his glass was still three-quarters full. But
I was still more startled by the action of the barman who lifted up the
glass and held it whilst the man drank.

Then I saw the reason. The man had no arms.

You know the easy way in which Englishmen chum together anywhere out of
England, whilst in their native country nothing save a formal
introduction will make them acquainted? I made some remark to Masters
which led to another from him, and in five minutes' time we were
chatting on all sorts of topics.

I learnt that Masters, bound for England, had come in to Fourteen
Streams to catch the train from Kimberley, and, having a few hours to
wait, had strolled up to the collection of tin huts calling itself a
town.

I was going down to Kimberley too, so of course we went together, and
were quite old friends by the time we reached that city.

We had a wash and something to eat, and then we walked round to the
post-office. I used to have my letters addressed there, _poste
restante_, and call in for them when I happened to be in Kimberley.

I found several letters, one of which altered the whole course of my
life. This was from Messrs. Harvey, Filson, and Harvey, solicitors,
Lincoln's Inn Fields. It informed me that the sudden death of my cousin
had so affected my uncle