een
murmurs in Court, at once sharply checked by the coroner.

Radmore felt surprised. Surely everyone present should have rejoiced from
every point of view. Had a different verdict been returned, it would have
put the unfortunate chemist in a very difficult position, and might
easily have ruined his business.

Though Radmore was grateful to Miss Pendarth for allowing him to read the
report, it had an effect very different from that she had intended, for
it made him pity Mrs. Crofton intensely. Somehow he had never realised
what a terrible ordeal the poor little woman had been through.

CHAPTER XXII

A week later Enid Crofton lay in her drawing-room on the one couch which
The Trellis House contained. She looked very charming in her new guise
of invalid.

Several people had already called to know how she was, including Jack
Tosswill and his father, but no visitor had yet been admitted. Now it was
past four, and she was expecting the doctor--also, she hoped, in due
course, Godfrey Radmore. That was why she had come downstairs, after
having had an early cup of tea in her bedroom, and lain herself on the
sofa.

The door opened, and as his burly form came through the door, Dr.
O'Farrell told himself that he had seldom if ever attended such an
attractive looking patient! She was still very pale, for the shock had
been great; but to-day, for the first time since her widowhood, she had
put on a pink silk jacket, and it supplied the touch of colour which was
needed by her white cheeks. She had made up her mind that even a little
rouge would be injudicious, but she had just used her lip-stick. It was
pleasant to know that she had every right to be an interesting invalid
with all an interesting invalid's privileges.

And yet, well acquainted as she was with the turns and twists of
masculine human nature, Mrs. Crofton would have been surprised to
know how suddenly repelled was the genial Irishman when she exclaimed
eagerly:--"I do hope that horrible cat has been killed! Didn't I hear
you say that you meant to shoot her yourself?"

It was not without a touch of sly satisfaction that Dr. O'Farrell
answered:--"That was my intention certainly, Mrs. Crofton. But I was
frustrated. The cat and her kittens vanished--just entirely away!"

"Vanished?" she exclaimed. "Then perhaps someone else has killed her?"

"Bless you, no. I'm afraid that the brute has still got her nine lives
before her! She was spirited away by that