"Not unless there's something about myself in them," she answered, with an arch smile at Allerdyke. "If you'd read this morning's papers, you'd have seen that the Mr. Allerdyke with whom you travelled--this gentleman's cousin, by the by--was found dead in his room at the hotel in Hull not so long after you quitted it," said Fullaway coolly. "In fact, he must have been dead when you passed his door on your way out." The prima donna was genuinely shocked. She set down the glass which she was just lifting to her lips; her large, handsome eyes dilated, her lips quivered a little. She turned a look of sympathy on Allerdyke, who, at that moment, realized that she was a very beautiful woman. "You don't say so!" she exclaimed. "Well, I'm really grieved to hear that--I am! Dead?--and when I left! Why, I was in his room that very night we reached Hull, having a talk on the business matter I mentioned just now--he was well enough and lively enough then, I'll swear. Dead!--why, what did he die of?" The two men looked at each other. There was a brief pause; then Allerdyke slowly produced a small packet, wrapped in tissue-paper, from his waistcoat pocket. He laid it on the table at his side and looked at his hostess. "I knew you had been in my cousin's room," he said. "You left or dropped your shoe-buckle there. I found it when I searched his room. Then the hotel manager showed me your wire. Here's the buckle." He was watching her narrowly as he spoke, and his glance deepened in intensity as he handed over the little packet and watched her unwrap the paper. But there was not a sign of anything but a little surprised satisfaction in the prima donna's face as she recognized her lost property, and her eyes were ingenuous enough as she turned them on him. "Why, of course, that's mine!" she exclaimed. "I'm ever so much obliged to you, Mr. Allerdyke. Yes, I wired to the hotel, in my proper name, you know--Zélie de Longarde is only my professional name. I didn't want to lose that buckle--it was part of a birthday present from my mother. But you don't mean to say that you travelled all the way to Edinburgh to hand me that! Surely not?" "No!" replied Allerdyke. He wanted to take a direct share in the talking, and went resolutely ahead now that the chance had come. "No--not at all. I knew you'd come to Edinburgh--found it out from that chauffeur who was driving you when you and I met at Howden the night before last, and so I came on to find you. I want to ask you some questions about my cousin, and maybe to get you to come and give evidence at the inquest on him." "Inquest!" she exclaimed. "I know what that means, of course. Why--you don't say there's been anything wrong?"