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The Thirty-Nine Steps by John Buchan
page 15 of 145 (10%)
or he would be besieged by communications from the India Office
and the Prime Minister and his cure would be ruined. I am bound
to say Scudder played up splendidly when he came to breakfast. He
fixed Paddock with his eyeglass, just like a British officer, asked
him about the Boer War, and slung out at me a lot of stuff about
imaginary pals. Paddock couldn't learn to call me 'Sir', but he
'sirred' Scudder as if his life depended on it.

I left him with the newspaper and a box of cigars, and went
down to the City till luncheon. When I got back the lift-man had an
important face.

'Nawsty business 'ere this morning, Sir. Gent in No. 15 been and
shot 'isself. They've just took 'im to the mortiary. The police are
up there now.'

I ascended to No. 15, and found a couple of bobbies and an
inspector busy making an examination. I asked a few idiotic questions,
and they soon kicked me out. Then I found the man that had
valeted Scudder, and pumped him, but I could see he suspected
nothing. He was a whining fellow with a churchyard face, and half-
a-crown went far to console him.

I attended the inquest next day. A partner of some publishing firm
gave evidence that the deceased had brought him wood-pulp propositions,
and had been, he believed, an agent of an American business.
The jury found it a case of suicide while of unsound mind, and the few
effects were handed over to the American Consul to deal with. I gave
Scudder a full account of the affair, and it interested him greatly. He
said he wished he could have attended the inquest, for he reckoned it
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