it over his arm. “T’ere’s just one more question,” he added. “I suppose Mr. Drysdale’s financial condition iss good?”
“Why, yes,” answered Delroy. “I have always so considered it.”
There was a hesitation in his manner which Heffelbower noticed.
“You mean you do not so consider it at t’is moment? Don’t try to shield him, Mr. Delroy. Iff he iss innocent he will have no difficulty in proving it; if he iss guilty, he should be punished.”
“Well, then,” said Delroy, with a kind of desperate calm, “I’ve already told you that I heard he’d been speculating in steel. There was a crash, Saturday, you know; but for how much he was caught, or whether he was caught at all, I don’t know. You’ll have to ask him about that.”
“T’ank you for your frankness,” said the coroner. “Frankness never yet hurt an innocent man. I t’ink t’at iss all we can do here. Let us go up to t’e house and have a talk with Mr. Drysdale.”
They followed him in silence from the boathouse and up the broad gravel path. Thomas opened the door for them.
“Shall I have Drysdale called down?” asked Delroy, as they stepped inside.
“No,” said the coroner. “I’d prefer to see him in his room.”
“Very well,” the other acquiesced, and led the way through the still-deserted hall and up the stair.
At the top, Tremaine turned to the coroner.
“If you don’t mind,” he said, “I’ll go on to my
