Crawshay closed the door behind the newcomer, whose manner was still to some extent apologetic. "It's really rather a mad idea," the latter began, "and I understand you found a part of what you were searching for, at any rate. But you know the man Phillips, who'd been operated upon for appendicitis--your patient, Miss Beverley, who died during the voyage?" "What about him?" the captain demanded. "Just one thing," the Doctor continued. "There was no doubt whatever that he had been operated upon for appendicitis, there was no doubt about the complications, there was no doubt about his death. I helped Doctor Gant--who seemed a very reasonable person, and who is known to me as one of the physicians at Miss Beverley's hospital--in various small details, and at his request I went over the clothing of the dead man and even knocked the coffin to see that it hadn't a double bottom. Doctor Gant appeared to welcome investigation in every shape and form, and yet, now that it's all over, there is one curious thing which rather bothers me." "Get on with it, man," the captain admonished. "Can't you see that we're all in a fever about this business?" The doctor produced from his pocket a small strip of very fine quality bandaging. "It's just this," he explained. "They left this fragment of bandaging in the stateroom. Phillips was bound up with it around the wound, as was quite natural, but it isn't ordinary stuff, you see. It's made double like a tube, with silk inside. He must have had a dozen yards of this around his leg and side, which of course was not disturbed. It's a horrible idea to a layman, I know," he went on, turning apologetically to Katharine,-- "Captain, will you send at once for the steward," Crawshay interrupted, "who carried the coffin out?" The captain sent a message to the lower deck. Katharine was leaning a little forward, intensely interested. "Perhaps, Miss Beverley, you can throw some light upon this?" the former enquired--"in your capacity as nurse, I mean." She shook her head. "I am sorry that I cannot," she replied. "As a matter of fact, I was never allowed to touch the bandages. Doctor Gant did all that himself." "Have you ever seen any bandaging of this sort?" Brightman asked, showing her the fragment which he had taken from the doctor's fingers. "Never." Crawshay drew a little breath between his teeth. He was on the point of speech when a steward knocked at the door. The captain called him in. "Harrison," he asked, "were you one of the stewards who was looking after Doctor Gant?" "Yes, sir," the man replied. "You helped to carry the coffin out, didn't you?" "That's so, sir. We were off at six o'clock this morning." "Was there a hearse waiting?" The steward shook his head. "There was a big motor car outside, sir. We put the coffin in that and the doctor drove off with it--said he was to take it down to the place where the man had lived, for burial." "Do you know where that was?" "No idea, sir."