"May I ask from whom we are to expect this evidence? Mr. Davenport's brother? He knows all about it, I suppose?" "No, not Mr. Davenport's brother. I am not sure that Mr. Edward Davenport ever knew anything about it." "That is unfortunate, since, so far as I understand, Mr. Edward Davenport is the late Mr. Davenport's only surviving relative." "He is. But at the time when Mr. Davenport had those seizures he was abroad, on the Continent. For many years of his life Mr. Davenport did not live in the United Kingdoms. When I first knew him he had just come home after travelling for a long time in America and Europe. Although I am not quite sure, I think up to a very short time before I met him he had been out of the country most of his life. He was not very communicative about the past, or indeed on any subject. It was while he was staying for a time in Florence he had these attacks of hallucination----" "And the evidence we can command is that of an eye-witness?" broke in Pringle. "Certainly." "The inquest will be to-morrow. May I not have the name of the witness? There is no time to be lost. In fact, this evidence, this extremely important evidence, comes very late. I am sorry I did not hear of it before. But we must do the best we can with it." He spoke in a voice of deep concern. "There was a reason why you did not hear of this evidence earlier. You asked me to give you my theory, Had I not better do so before going into other matters?" She raised her clasped hands slightly from her lap in faint protest. "I beg your pardon for interrupting you. By all means let me have the theory first. My anxiety betrayed me into asking questions which ought to have been deferred." He was filled with admiration of this woman who could keep so closely to the point, and with shame for himself for his unthrifty straying from it. "As you are no doubt aware, chloroform affects different people in different ways. A little of it will kill some people; a large quantity will scarcely affect others. Many under its influence become delirious and rave. At certain periods, while under the power of chloroform, one may be relieved of pain, conscious of surrounding things, capable of moving, and yet delirious. The theory I would suggest is that Mr. Davenport inhaled some chloroform to ease a spasm of asthma, that he became delirious, that he had a return of his old hallucination, then wrote what was found on the leaf torn from the book, and while endeavouring to administer a second dose to himself, spilled the contents of the bottle over his beard and chest." Her words came in as calm and measured a way as though she were speaking on an abstract subject to an indifferent audience.