t the authorities say," replied the doctor sharply. "In
point of fact I expect they'll take him to the mortuary."

They stood waiting where they were. The trader took a cigarette from a
fold in his _lava-lava_ and gave one to Dr Macphail. They smoked while
they stared at the corpse. Dr Macphail could not understand.

"Why do you think he did it?" asked Horn.

The doctor shrugged his shoulders. In a little while native police came
along, under the charge of a marine, with a stretcher, and immediately
afterwards a couple of naval officers and a naval doctor. They managed
everything in a businesslike manner.

"What about the wife?" said one of the officers.

"Now that you've come I'll go back to the house and get some things on.
I'll see that it's broken to her. She'd better not see him till he's
been fixed up a little."

"I guess that's right," said the naval doctor.

When Dr Macphail went back he found his wife nearly dressed.

"Mrs Davidson's in a dreadful state about her husband," she said to him
as soon as he appeared. "He hasn't been to bed all night. She heard him
leave Miss Thompson's room at two, but he went out. If he's been walking
about since then he'll be absolutely dead."

Dr Macphail told her what had happened and asked her to break the news
to Mrs Davidson.

"But why did he do it?" she asked, horror-stricken.

"I don't know."

"But I can't. I can't."

"You must."

She gave him a frightened look and went out. He heard her go into Mrs
Davidson's room. He waited a minute to gather himself together and then
began to shave and wash. When he was dressed he sat down on the bed and
waited for his wife. At last she came.

"She wants to see him," she said.

"They've taken him to the mortuary. We'd better go down with her. How
did she take it?"

"I think she's stunned. She didn't cry. But she's trembling like a
leaf."

"We'd better go at once."

When they knocked at her door Mrs Davidson came out. She was very pale,
but dry-eyed. To the doctor she seemed unnaturally composed. No word was
exchanged, and they set out in silence down the road. When they arrived
at the mortuary Mrs Davidson spoke.

"Let me go in and see him alone."

They stood aside. A native opened a door for her and closed it behind
her. They sat down and waited. One or two white men came and talked to
them in undertones. Dr Macphail told them again what he knew of the
tragedy. At last the door was quietly opened and Mrs Davi