"Quite so; I can understand your natural objection to that, but still I don't see your line of argument. I should not have cared to question Lanyon's courage to Lanyon's face while he was living. Why should you suppose that such a man as Geoffrey Fleming was capable of such a thing as, as you put it, actually frightening him to death? I should say it was rather the other way about. I have seen Fleming turn green, with what looked very much like funk, at the sight of Lanyon." Mr. Jackson for some moments smoked in silence. "If you had seen Geoffrey Fleming under the circumstances in which I did, you would understand better what it is I mean." "But, my dear Jackson, if you will forgive my saying so, it seems to me that you don't shew to great advantage in your own story. Have you communicated the fact of your having been robbed to the police?" "I have." "And have you furnished them with the numbers of the notes which were taken?" "I have." "Then, in that case, I shouldn't be surprised if Mr. Fleming were brought to book any hour of any day. You'll find he has been lying close in London all the time--he soon had enough of Ceylon." A new comer joined the group of talkers--Frank Osborne. They noticed, as he seated himself, how much he seemed to have aged of late and how particularly shabby he seemed just then. The first remark which he made took them all aback. "Geoff Fleming's dead." "Dead!" cried Mr. Philpotts, who was sitting next to Mr. Osborne. "Yes--dead. I've heard from Deecie. He died three weeks ago." "Three weeks ago!" "On the day on which Lanyon died." Mr. Cathcart turned to Mr. Jackson, with a smile. "Then that knocks on the head your theory about his having frightened Lanyon to death; and how about your interview with him--eh Jackson?" Mr. Jackson did not answer. He suddenly went white. An intervention came from an unexpected quarter--from Mr. Philpotts. "It seems to me that you are rather taking things for granted, Cathcart. I take leave to inform you that I saw Geoffrey Fleming, perhaps less than half-an-hour before Jackson did." Mr. Cathcart stared. "You saw him!--Philpotts!" Then Mr. Bloxham arose and spoke. "Yes, and I saw him, too--didn't I, Philpott's?" Any tendency on the part of the auditors to smile was checked by the tone of exceeding bitterness in which Frank Osborne was also moved to testify. "And I--I saw him, too!--Geoff!--dear old boy!"