invented that story, didn't you?" Neither of us spoke.
He looked appealingly at me, and with a laugh left the room. He turned,
however, in a moment, and stood looking at me. "There is a meeting at
the Queen's Hall to-night," he said slowly. "It is a medical conference
on the Blue Disease. No doubt you know of it. I am going to ask you a
question." He paused and smiled at Sarakoff. "Will you gentlemen make a
statement before those doctors to-night?"

"We intended to do so," said Sarakoff.

"I am delighted to hear it," said the Home Secretary. "It is a great
relief to me. They will know how best to deal with you. Good day."

He left the room.

I heard the front door close and then brisk footsteps passing the window
on the pavement outside.

"There's no doubt that they're both a little mad." Sir Robert's voice
sounded for a moment, and then died away.

CHAPTER XVII

CLUTTERBUCK'S ODD BEHAVIOUR

Scarcely had the Home Secretary departed when my maid announced that a
patient was waiting to see me in my study.

I left Sarakoff sitting tranquilly in the waiting-room and entered the
study. A grave, precise, clean-shaven man was standing by the window. He
turned as I entered. It was Mr. Clutterbuck.

"So you are Dr. Harden!" he exclaimed.

He stopped and looked confused.

"Yes," I said; "please sit down, Mr. Clutterbuck."

He did so, twisting his hat awkwardly and gazing at the floor.

"I owe you an apology," he said at length. "I came to consult you,
little expecting to find that it was you after all--that you were Dr.
Harden. I must apologize for my rudeness to you in the tea-shop, but
what you said was so extraordinary ... you could not expect me to
believe."

He glanced at me, and then looked away. There was a dull flush on his
face.

"Please do not apologize. What did you wish to consult me about?"

"About my wife."

"Is she worse?"

"No." He dropped his hat, recovered it, and finally set it upon a corner
of the table. "No, she is not worse. In fact, she is the reverse. She is
better."

I waited, feeling only a mild interest in the cause of his agitation.

"She has got the Blue Disease," he continued, speaking with difficulty.
"She got it yesterday and since then she has been much better. Her cough
has ceased. She--er--she is wonderfully better." He began to drum with
his fingers on his knee, and looked with a vacant gaze at the corner of
the room. "Yes, she is certainly better. I was won