Presently the three clerks appear, bringing in the doctor, Mrs. Turvey and Topsy, and Mr. Symonds, who, judging from his appearance, is a seafaring man. Grigg and Limpet bow and motion the visitors to the seats. Grigg bows to the ladies, Limpet to the gentlemen. ‘Mr. Limpet,’ says Grigg, ‘explain matters.’ ‘Ahem, ’says Limpet, ‘we have thought it better, Mr. Grigg and myself, to ask you to attend here to-day together _in re_ Egerton. I should say in the matter of our client, Mr. Gurth Egerton—our late client, I fear I should say. Before taking any steps, we have thought—Mr. Grigg and myself have thought—that it would be better to hear the evidence in this matter, in order that we—in order that Mr. Grigg and myself might, if possible, arrive at some definite conclusion. Ahem, ahem.’ ‘Will,’ said Grigg. ‘Exactly. Thank you. The will. The will of the—I fear I must say late?’ ‘Say late,’ put in Grigg. ‘Exactly; we will say late, as Mr. Grigg suggests. It is better. It is a sad description, but I fear a truthful one.’ Mr. Limpet looked at Mr. Grigg to see if any emotion was advisable. ‘No relatives,’ muttered Grigg. ‘Exactly. There are fortunately no relatives of the deceased here, so that we can discuss this matter calmly, without yielding to that very natural emotion which in cases of this sort, ahem—is, ahem—is, ahem——’ ‘Usual,’ suggested Grigg. ‘Exactly, which is usual. The will, as you are aware, was left in our possession when the, I fear I must say deceased, gentleman set out to travel abroad for the—ahem—for the——’ ‘Benefit of his health,’ said Grigg. ‘Exactly, the benefit of his health. Alas! his health was not benefited, for I fear that he is now—that he is now——’ ‘Bottom of the deep blue sea,’ suggested Grigg. ‘Exactly. As Mr. Grigg poetically puts it, at the bottom of the deep blue sea. Of course, in cases of this sort there is always a difficulty to prove death. There is always a doubt.’ ‘Beggin’ your pardon, cap’en,’ interrupted the seafaring man, ‘but I’m qualified to speak to that there point. There ain’t any doubt about it at all. Them as goes to the bottom of the sea where the _Boney’s Paw_ went down is gone to Davy Jones right enough.’ ‘Exactly. Mr.—Mr. Symonds, thank you. But that is not the point. You see—excuse the little humour—we can’t call Mr. Jones as a witness. Ha, ha!’ ‘Ha, ha!’ groaned Grigg. Grigg’s laugh was exactly the same as his groan. ‘There is a doubt in law, I say; but that, of course, we shall be able to get over. We shall prove the loss of the vessel; we shall ascertain that Mr. Egerton was on board; that he was left on board; that he is not among the survivors, who can all be accounted for; and that, as a matter of fact, he is, as Mr. Grigg very sympathetically and, I may say, very poetically observed, at the bottom of the deep blue sea—in other words, that he is dead. You, Mr. Symonds, I believe, were the last man to leave the vessel when the boats put off? ‘I were, cap’en.’