octor here says the
revolver had been fired at close quarters."

Mr. Tertius, who had watched and listened with marked attention, turned
to the police surgeon.

"The wound may have been self-inflicted?" he asked.

"From the position of the body, and of the revolver, there is strong
presumption that it was," replied the doctor.

"Yet--it may not have been?" suggested Mr. Tertius, mildly.

The doctor shrugged his shoulders. It was easy to see what his own
opinion was.

"It may not have been--as you say," he answered. "But if he was shot by
some other person--murdered, that is--the murderer must have been
standing either close at his side, or immediately behind him. Of this I
am certain--he was sitting in that chair, at his desk, when the shot was
fired."

"And--what would the immediate effect be?" asked Mr. Tertius.

"He would probably start violently, make as if to rise, drop forward
against the desk and gradually--but quickly--subside to the floor in the
position in which he was found," replied the doctor. "As he fell he
would relinquish his grip on the revolver--it is invariably a tight grip
in these cases--and it would fall--just where it was found."

"Still, there is nothing to disprove the theory that the revolver may
have been placed--where it was found?" suggested Mr. Tertius.

"Oh, certainly it may have been placed there!" said the doctor, with
another shrug of the shoulders. "A cool and calculating murderer may
have placed it there, of course."

"Just so," agreed Mr. Tertius. He remained silently gazing at the
hearthrug for a while; then he turned to the doctor again. "Now, how
long do you think Mr. Herapath had been dead when you were called to the
body?" he asked.

"Quite eight hours," answered the doctor promptly.

"Eight hours!" exclaimed Mr. Tertius. "And you first saw him at----"

"A quarter past eight," said the doctor. "I should say he died just
about midnight."

"Midnight!" murmured Mr. Tertius. "Midnight? Then----"

Before he could say more, a policeman, stationed in the corridor
outside, opened the door of the room, and glancing at his inspector,
announced the arrival of Mr. Barthorpe Herapath.

CHAPTER III

BARTHORPE TAKES CHARGE

The man who strode into the room as the policeman threw the door open for
him immediately made two distinct impressions on the inspector and the
doctor, neither of whom had ever seen him before. The first was that he
instantly conveyed a sen