ad fallen backwards with his head on the pedal-board.
He must have fallen with much violence, and the pedal-note had made a
bad wound, such as would be produced by a blunt instrument.

The inquest was nearly finished when, without any warning, Westray found
himself, as by intuition, asking:

"The wound was such a one, you mean, as might have been produced by the
blow of a hammer?"

The doctor seemed surprised, the jury and the little audience stared,
but most surprised of all was Westray at his own question.

"You have no _locus standi_, sir," the coroner said severely; "such an
interrogation is irregular. You are to esteem it an act of grace if I
allow the medical man to reply."

"Yes," said Dr Ennefer, with a reserve in his voice that implied that
he was not there to answer every irrelevant question that it might
please foolish people to put to him--"yes, such a wound as might have
been caused by a hammer, or by any other blunt instrument used with
violence."

"Even by a heavy stick?" Westray suggested.

The doctor maintained a dignified silence, and the coroner struck in:

"I must say I think you are wasting our time, Mr Westray. I am the
last person to stifle legitimate inquiry, but no inquiry is really
needed here; it is quite certain that this poor man came to his end by
falling heavily, and dashing his head against this wooden note in the
pedals."

"_Is_ it quite certain?" Westray asked. "Is Dr Ennefer quite sure
that the wound _could_ have been caused by a mere fall; I only want to
know that Dr Ennefer is quite sure."

The coroner looked at the doctor with a deprecating glance, which
implied apologies that so much unnecessary trouble should be given, and
a hope that he would be graciously pleased to put an end to it by an
authoritative statement.

"Oh, I am quite sure," the doctor responded. "Yes"--and he hesitated
for the fraction of a second--"oh yes, there is no doubt such a wound
could be caused by a fall."

"I merely wish to point out," said Westray, "that the pedal-note on
which he fell is to a certain extent a yielding substance; it would
yield, you must remember, at the first impact."

"That is quite true," the doctor said; "I had taken that into account,
and admit that one would scarcely expect so serious an injury to have
been caused. But, of course, it _was_ so caused, because there is no
other explanation; you don't suggest, I presume, that there was any foul
play. It is cert