for two years he had been considered as dead which lent such
importance to his return and which gave rise to those columns of
detail concerning him which appeared in all the afternoon papers.
But, obviously, during his absence he had not tired of the Princess
Zichy, for we know that a few hours after he reached London he sought
her out. His brother, who had also learned of his reappearance
through the papers, probably suspected which would be the house he
would first visit, and followed him there, arriving, so the Russian
servant tells us, while the two were at coffee in the drawing-room.
The Princess, then, we also learn from the servant, withdrew to the
dining-room, leaving the brothers together. What happened one can
only guess.

"Lord Arthur knew now that when it was discovered he was no longer
the heir, the moneylenders would come down upon him. The police
believe that he at once sought out his brother to beg for money to
cover the post-obits, but that, considering the sum he needed was
several hundreds of thousands of pounds, Chetney refused to give it
him. No one knew that Arthur had gone to seek out his brother. They
were alone. It is possible, then, that in a passion of
disappointment, and crazed with the disgrace which he saw before him,
young Arthur made himself the heir beyond further question. The death
of his brother would have availed nothing if the woman remained
alive. It is then possible that he crossed the hall, and, with the
same weapon which made him Lord Edam's heir, destroyed the solitary
witness to the murder. The only other person who could have seen it
was sleeping in a drunken stupor, to which fact undoubtedly he owed
his life. And yet," concluded the Naval Attache, leaning forward and
marking each word with his finger, "Lord Arthur blundered fatally. In
his haste he left the door of the house open, so giving access to the