Once outside the death-chamber, Allerdyke asked the manager to give him a bedroom with a sitting-room attached to it, and to put Gaffney in another room close by--he should be obliged, he said, to stay at the hotel until the inquest was over and arrangements had been made for his cousin's funeral. The manager at once took him to a suite of three rooms at the end of the corridor which they were then in. Allerdyke took it at once, sent Gaffney down to bring up certain things from the car, and detained the manager for a moment's conversation. "I suppose you'd a fair lot of people come in last night from that Christiania boat?" he asked. "Some fifteen or twenty," answered the manager. "Did you happen to see my cousin in conversation with any of them?" inquired Allerdyke. The manager shrugged his shoulders. He was not definitely sure about that; he had a notion that he had seen Mr. James Allerdyke talking with some of the _Perisco_ passengers, but the notion was vague. "You know how it is," he went on. "People come in--they stand about talking in the hall--groups, you know--they go from one to another. I think I saw him talking to that doctor who's in there now with Dr. Orwin--the man with the big beard--and to a lady who came at the same time. There were several ladies in the party--the passengers were all about in the hall, and in the coffee-room, and so on. There are a lot of other people in the house, too, of course." "It's this way," said Allerdyke. "I'm not at all satisfied about what these doctors say, so far. They may be right, of course--probably are. Still I want to know all I can, and, naturally, I'd like to know who the people were that my cousin was last in company with. You never know what may have happened--there's often something that doesn't show at first." "There was--nothing missing in his room, I hope?" asked the manager with professional anxiety. "Nothing that I know of," answered Allerdyke. "My man and I have searched him, and taken possession of everything--all that he had on him is in that bag, and I'm going to examine it now. No--I don't think anything had been taken from him, judging by what I've seen." "You wouldn't like me to send for the police?" suggested the manager. "Not at present," replied Allerdyke. "Not, at any rate, until these doctors say something more definite--they'll know more presently, no doubt. Of course, you've a list of all the people who came in last night?" "They would all register," answered the manager. "But then, you know, sir, many of them will be going this morning--most of them are only breaking their journey. You can look over the register whenever you like." "Later on," said Allerdyke. "In the meantime, I'll examine these things. Send me up some coffee as soon as your people are stirring."