e no reason to suspect it) I am convinced that the local physician
who attended him at the hotel and the specialist who was sent for
post-haste from Zurich were by no means agreed as to the cause of
death.

"The symptoms were apparently not unlike those which would be caused
by a snake-bite, for instance; but naturally one does not look for
poisonous snakes in Switzerland. There was some sort of inflammation
of the skin apparently"--he consulted a page of his note-book--"which
might have been eczema or something similar, of course, but which
according to medical evidence had no apparent connection with the
cause of his death. This was given in the certificate simply as
syncope--although there did not appear to be any hereditary cardiac
trouble or anything of the kind to account for a young fellow of that
age dying suddenly of heart failure. And there had been nothing in his
life during his sojourn at Basle which would help to clear up the
mystery.

"However, no doubt seems to have arisen at the time, as you can well
understand; nevertheless, I, personally, count the death of Roger
Coverly as the first of the outrages to be laid to the credit of Dr.
Damar Greefe!"

"The object of the whole thing is still completely dark to me," I
declared.

"In a sense it is dark to _me_," replied Gatton; "but considering that
the boy died at a time when the health of his father, Sir Burnham, was
already giving cause for anxiety, I maintain that he was removed
because his inheritance of Friar's Park was feared--by some one. The
invitation from Dr. Damar Greefe to Sir Marcus is a very significant
piece of evidence, of course; and when we consider that it reached Sir
Marcus within a very short time of his return from Russia, the
conclusion is obvious.

"He inherited the title on the death of Sir Burnham, whilst he was on
service in Archangel. Being in Russia, I conclude that he was not
accessible from the Eurasian doctor's point of view. Directly he
_became_ accessible, this invitation arrived; and it is perfectly
clear that the fate intended for him was that which so nearly befell
yourself! Remember, I have seen the gun mounted on the tower of
Friar's Park and I assure you it was not placed there yesterday. In
short, I have no doubt that it was put there in anticipation of Sir
Marcus's visit and only employed in your case as a sort of
afterthought.

"The Red House plot was the next move on the part of the Eurasian, and
it succee