"And what have you discovered?" inquired the Coroner, the Court being so silent that the proverbial pin, if it had been dropped at that moment, might have been heard. "Nothing," he answered clearly. "There was no sign of anything of a deleterious nature whatsoever. The deceased was certainly not poisoned." The assembly of excited townspeople again shifted uneasily, as it was wont to do after every important reply which might elucidate the mystery. It seemed as though a rumour had been circulated that Dudley had been poisoned, and this declaration of the renowned analyst set at rest for ever that wild, unfounded report. People turned to one another, whispering excitedly, and a shadow of disappointment rested upon their inquisitive countenances. They had expected it to be pronounced a case of murder, whereas it would now be proved that death had occurred from some natural but sudden and unknown cause. "Then you have no opinion to offer as to the cause of death!" the Coroner exclaimed. "None whatever," was the reply, and that concluded the analyst's important testimony. The foreman of the jury expressed a wish to put a question to Ella, and a few moments later she stood where I had stood, and removing her glove, took the oath with trembling voice. "Have you any reason to suppose, Miss Laing, that Mr Ogle's declaration of love to you had aroused the enmity of Mr Deedes?" asked the man, seriously. "No," she answered in a tone so low that I could scarcely distinguish the word. "Mr Deedes was your lover, wasn't he?" "I am still engaged to him," she replied, tears welling in her eyes. "He tells a falsehood when he says that our love is at an end." "Then why did you not tell him of Mr Ogle's declaration?" "Because they were friends, and I did not wish to arouse animosity between them." Slight applause followed this reply, but it was instantly suppressed. The Coroner, to bring matters to a conclusion, asked, "Now, knowing Mr Ogle as intimately as you did, do you suspect that he might have been murdered?" She gasped, swayed slowly forward and gripped the corner of the baize-covered table to steady herself. "Yes," she answered in a clear but tremulous voice. "I--I believe he was murdered." A thrill of excitement and wonder ran through the onlookers. Her handsome face was ashen pale, and her breast, beneath her blouse of cool-looking muslin, rose and fell quickly, showing how intense was her agitation. "And what causes you to believe this?" asked the Coroner, raising his brows in interrogation. "I have suspicions," she answered in a low voice, striving to remain calm, and glancing quickly around the silent assembly. "You suspect some person of having been guilty of murder?" he asked, interested.