I noticed that Mr. Gascoyne did not so far permit himself to be addressed as the Earl. The inquest was held the next day. The detective, I knew, had arrived the night before, and was making inquiries. In the morning he was standing in the hall as I passed towards the breakfast-room. I knew perfectly well he was waiting to see me, and the swift glance I took at his face convinced me that he was on the right track. I felt a terrible shock, notwithstanding the fact that I had been steeling myself ever since Lord Gascoyne’s death to meet such a situation. The specialist was the only occupant of the breakfast-room when I entered. I had not seen him or his brethren since early the evening before. “Have you arrived at the cause of Lord Gascoyne’s death?” I asked. “Poison,” he said shortly. I started, as if immensely surprised. “Then Dr. Phillimore was right. Something in the food, I suppose?” He hesitated. “We don’t quite know. We have not finished our investigation yet.” This I knew was not true. The detective had evidently asked him, if his own discretion had not prompted him, to hold his tongue. The specialist volunteered no more information, and in a few minutes my wife and Mrs. Gascoyne joined us. Chapter XXVII The inquest took place in the justice-room. It was not deemed probable that it would be necessary to summon Lady Gascoyne as witness. The evidence of the others who had been in the room at the time when Lord Gascoyne was taken ill was considered sufficient. The statement I had already made to the coroner’s officer was quite simple. I declared that I had not noticed any signs of illness on the part of Lord Gascoyne till we reached the room where the ladies were. There had certainly been nothing to arouse anxiety before we left the table. The depositions of myself, Mrs. Gascoyne, my wife, and Miss Lane were taken first, and they then passed on to the medical evidence. Dr. Grange was the first to be examined. He stated that on reaching the castle he found Lord Gascoyne in such a serious state that he immediately sent for the assistance of Dr. Phillimore. The latter seemed to think that Lord Gascoyne was suffering from poisoning, an opinion which he had not at first shared. At the post-mortem, however, a sufficient amount of arsenic was found in the body to have caused death. Dr. Phillimore’s evidence was identical, but it was easy to see that it was he who had guided Dr. Grange’s opinion.