“Vincenzo always sat up till I went to bed,” he said, “but often, if I was sitting up late, I would ring for him, and tell him he needn’t wait. This evening when my wife and my boy went upstairs, I came in here: it must have been not long after eleven. I began reading the type-written copy of an old family memoir, got interested in it, and did not notice how the time went. When I looked up I saw that it was late: twenty minutes past twelve or thereabouts. I had not finished my reading, and so I rang the bell here, in order to tell Vincenzo that he need not sit up. Almost immediately I heard the noise of some heavy fall. The house had been silent for some time, and it startled me considerably. I went out into the hall which we have just quitted and found the poor fellow lying there. From the fact that I heard this noise immediately after ringing my bell, I suppose that he had been waiting in the hall, where he would hear my bell. I instantly rang you up, and remained there with him till you came. I thought perhaps he might come to himself, and I could be of use. It occurred to me to call some of the other servants, but since I felt sure that it would be safer not to move him, there seemed to be no object in that. Ah, yes, I tried to make him swallow some brandy.” “Quite so. You acted very wisely.” Colin looked imploringly at the doctor. “It would be a great relief to my mind,” he said, “if you could definitely tell me that there was nothing I could have done to help him.” “I am positive there was nothing. Probably he was dead when he fell. There is a question or two I should like to ask. When you rang me up, you said he had had some sort of a fit. Had he suffered from fits before?” Colin almost smiled with pleasure at that question. “He told me once that when he was a boy he was subject to them,” he said. “He supposed he had outgrown them.” “I see. Of course this was not a fit, medically speaking. No sign of an epileptic seizure or anything of the kind. Sudden death: that’s all we can say at present.” “And from what, do you conjecture?” asked Colin. “It is quite impossible to say. That of course will have to be ascertained.” “You can form no idea?” “One would imagine he had some terrible shock. There was an expression in his eyes of the most abject terror.” Dr. Martin got up. “Now would you like to summon one of your men to help us?” he said. “We must move the body, of course. Is there some room near at hand where we can place him till morning, when I will be back early to make all arrangements--some room which you can lock up and give me the key or keep it yourself?” “Yes, there’s the smoking-room close at hand,” said Colin. “But there is no need to call anybody. I will help you.”