"Did you understand what he meant by that?"

"I asked him who it was, and he said that it was Robert Ablett.
Then he explained that he was afraid at first it was the cousin
with whom he lived--Mark."

"Yes. Did he seem upset?"

"Very much so at first. Less when he found that it wasn't Mark."

There was a sudden snigger from a nervous gentleman in the crowd
at the back of the room, and the Coroner put on his glasses and
stared sternly in the direction from which it came. The nervous
gentleman hastily decided that the time had come to do up his
bootlace. The Coroner put down his glasses and continued.

"Did anybody come out of the house while you were coming up the
drive?"

"No."

"Thank you, Mr. Gillingham."

He was followed by Inspector Birch. The Inspector, realizing
that this was his afternoon, and that the eyes of the world were
upon him, produced a plan of the house and explained the
situation of the different rooms. The plan was then handed to
the jury.