"Oh, that! Well, when such trouble comes we've got to bear it and meet it like men." It was in Dick's mind, though not upon his tongue, "But if it comes upon you through the one you hold most dear, through Florence, dear to me as to you, how will you bear it then?" "Go on with the story of Abel Death, Dick. The last we see of him is when he sits at the table in his lodgings with his head in his hands, and starts up to make one more appeal to Samuel Boyd. The first question is, does he go straight to Catchpole Square, or does he go into a public and get drunk?" "He goes straight to Catchpole Square, and knocks at Samuel Boyd's door." "Admitted--for the sake of argument." "The next question is, does he get into the house?" "And there," said the Inspector, "we come to a full stop." "Not at all. Let us consider the possibilities. There are a dozen doors open." "All opening on different roads, and leading to confusion. Better to have one strong clue than a dozen to distract your mind." "Granted," said Dick; "but in the absence of that one strong clue I shall leave all the doors open till I see what is behind them. Let us suppose that Abel Death gets into the house." "Openly or secretly, Dick?" "Openly. Samuel Boyd admits him. He takes delight in playing with those whom he oppresses, in worrying and torturing them, in leading them on to hope, and then plunging them into despair. Abel Death being in the house, the question arises did he ever get out of it?" "What are you thinking of, Dick? Murder?" "The man is gone, and left no trace behind. If he had committed suicide it is a thousand to one that his body would have been found and identified." "True." "How do men commit suicide?" continued Dick. "I will confine myself to four methods: by poison, by hanging, by shooting, by drowning. It would have been difficult for Abel Death to purchase poison; his nerves were unstrung, and an inquiry for poison across the counter would have caused suspicion; the state of agitation he was in would have prevented the invention of a plausible explanation. We put poison aside. A pistol he could not have possessed, because of his poverty. We put shooting aside. Hanging comes next; but if he had resorted to that means of ending his life a very few hours would have sufficed to make the matter public. There would be no mystery to clear up. This reduces us to drowning. The water-ways of London do not hide many secrets of this nature, and had he sought death in the river his body would have been washed ashore." "Therefore, Dick," said Inspector Robson, looking at his nephew in admiration, "not suicide." "Therefore, uncle, not suicide." "He may have run away." "With what object? His pockets were empty, and the idea of unfaithfulness to his wife is preposterous." "Very well. Let us get back to the main point. What has become of Abel Death. We left him in Samuel Boyd's house, and we decide that he did not come out of it. I am going to have my say now."