meaning of the strange expression, dimly
seen, on his friend's face.

For Stratton's eyes showed white circles about the irises, as he now
leaned forward to gaze into the bath.

Guest was the last to look into the white enamelled vessel, one-third
full of what seemed to be water, but from the peculiar odour which rose
from the surface, evidently was not.

Stratton was silent; and in the strange exultation he felt on seeing
that all the horrors he had imagined were vain and empty, Guest shouted:

"Bah! What cock-and-bull stories you policemen hatch!"

The sergeant, who had been regularly taken aback, recovered himself at
this.

"Come, sir," he cried; "I like that. You come to us and say your
friend's missing, and you think that he is lying dead in his chambers.
`All right,' we say--"

"Wrong," cried Guest with a laugh, which sounded strange and forced.

"So it is, sir--wrong," said the sergeant. "We come and do our duty,
and I follow up the scent as clear as clear, right up to this spot; and
I put it to you gents, as gentlemen, oughtn't your friend to have been
murdered and a-lying there?"

"Well," said Guest, with another forced laugh, as he glanced uneasily at
Stratton; "it did look suspicious, and you worked it all up so
theatrically that I was a little impressed."

"Theatrical! Impressed, sir! Why, it was all as real to me; and I say
again your friend ought to be lying there. What do you say, Jem?"

"Cert'nly."

"But he is not," said Guest sharply; "and it has all been a false alarm,
you see, and I'm very, very glad."

"Course you are, sir, and so are we," said Jem huskily. "Don't
'pologise. Don't make a bit o' diffrens to us. We're paid all the
same."

"Of course," cried Guest, keeping up the position of leader, for
Stratton stood gazing down into the bath like one in a dream. "There,
sergeant, we are very much obliged, and it's all right; so your man had
better screw down the bath lid again."

"But it isn't all right, sir," said the sergeant testily, and he gave
his ear a scratch. "I don't like giving up just for a check."

Guest shivered.

"I've got as far as here, and I put it to you; the gentleman ought to
have been in that thing, and he isn't."

"That's plain enough," said Guest hurriedly.

"Then where is he?"

"In the country, I suppose, collecting."

"That's your opinion, sir. P'r'aps your friend'll speak. What do you
say, sir?"

"Nothing," said Stratton, with an eff