Produced by D. Alexander and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive) IN THE MAYOR'S PARLOUR By J. S. FLETCHER JOHN LANE THE BODLEY HEAD LIMITED LONDON MCMXXII SECOND EDITION _Printed in Great Britain by_ Butler & Tanner, _Frome and London_. CONTENTS CHAP. PAGE I THE MAYOR'S PARLOUR 1 II THE CAMBRIC HANDKERCHIEF 14 III THE TANNERY HOUSE 27 IV BULL'S SNUG 41 V SLEEPING FIRES 53 VI THE ANCIENT OFFICE OF CORONER 67 VII THE VOLUNTARY WITNESS 80 VIII MRS. SAUMAREZ 93 IX THE RIGHT TO INTERVENE 107 X THE CAT IN THE BAG 121 XI THE NINETEEN MINUTES' INTERVAL 132 XII CIRCUMSTANTIAL EVIDENCE 143 XIII A WOMAN INTERVENES 153 XIV WHOSE VOICES? 164 XV THE SPECIAL EDITION 174 XVI THE CASTLE WALL 185 XVII IMPREGNABLE 196 XVIII LOOSE STRANDS 208 XIX BLACK SECRETS AND RED TAPE 221 XX THE FELL HAND 235 XXI CORRUPTION 246 XXII THE PARLOUR-MAID 258 XXIII THE CONNECTING WALL 268 XXIV BEHIND THE PANEL 280 XXV THE EMPTY ROOM 291 IN THE MAYOR'S PARLOUR CHAPTER I THE MAYOR'S PARLOUR