"Why?"

"The doctor, Mr. Mannering, wished him to do so. He desired to have a
companion."

"Have you anything further that you would care to tell us?"

"Only this, that I think Mr. Hardcastle, with whom I had a long
conversation on his arrival, gave it as his opinion that it was not in
the Grey Room we must look for an explanation. I believe he regarded
his visit to the room itself as a comparatively unimportant part of the
case. He was really more interested in the life of my son-in-law and his
relations with other people. I think he regarded May's death as a matter
which had been determined outside the Grey Room. But, if I may presume
to advise you, this view of his is surely proved mistaken in the light
of his own destruction and what has happened since. It is certain now
that the cause of danger lies actually in the room itself, and equally
certain that what killed my son-in-law also killed Mr. Hardcastle and,
last night, killed the Reverend Septimus May."

"On the fact of it, yes," admitted Frith. "I think, after we have
considered the situation now developed and visited the Grey Room, we
shall agree that there, at any rate, we may begin the work that
has brought us. You understand we rule out the possibility of any
supernatural event, as Hardcastle, of course, did. While he very
properly centred on the history of Captain May, and, from his point of
view, did not expect to find the accident of the captain's death in this
particular place would prove important, we shall now assume otherwise,
and give the room, or somebody with access to it, the credit for this
destruction of human life. We shall fasten on the room therefore. Our
inquiry is fairly simple at the outset, simpler than poor Hardcastle's.
It will lie along one of two channels, and it depends entirely upon
which channel we have to proceed whether the matter is going to take
much time, and possibly fail of explanation at the end, or but a short
time, and be swiftly cleared up. I hope the latter."

"I shall be glad if you can explain that remark," answered Sir Walter;
but Mr. Frith was not prepared immediately to do so.

"Fully when the time comes, Sir Walter; but for the moment, no--not even
to you. You will understand that our work must be entirely secret, and
the lines on which we proceed known only to ourselves."

"That is reasonable, for you cannot tell yet whether I, who speak to
you, may not be responsible for everything. At least, command