f it.
But Chamberlayne didn't come back that night, Mr. Spargo. He didn't
come back to Market Milcaster for four days, and when he did come back
it was in a coffin!"

"Dead?" exclaimed Spargo. "That was sudden!"

"Very sudden," agreed Mr. Quarterpage. "Yes, sir, he came back in his
coffin, did Chamberlayne. On the very evening on which he'd spoken of
being back, there came a telegram here to say that he'd died very
suddenly at the Cosmopolitan Hotel. That telegram came to his
brother-in-law, Corkindale, the saddler--you'll find him down the
street, opposite the Town Hall. It was sent to Corkindale by a nephew
of Chamberlayne's, another Chamberlayne, Stephen, who lived in London,
and was understood to be on the Stock Exchange there. I saw that
telegram, Mr. Spargo, and it was a long one. It said that Chamberlayne
had had a sudden seizure, and though a doctor had been got to him he'd
died shortly afterwards. Now, as Chamberlayne had his nephew and
friends in London, his brother-in-law, Tom Corkindale, didn't feel that
there was any necessity for him to go up to town, so he just sent off a
wire to Stephen Chamberlayne asking if there was aught he could do. And
next morning came another wire from Stephen saying that no inquest
would be necessary, as the doctor had been present and able to certify
the cause of death, and would Corkindale make all arrangements for the
funeral two days later. You see, Chamberlayne had bought a vault in our
cemetery when he buried his wife, so naturally they wished to bury him
in it, with her."

Spargo nodded. He was beginning to imagine all sorts of things and
theories; he was taking everything in.

"Well," continued Mr. Quarterpage, "on the second day after that, they
brought Chamberlayne's body down. Three of 'em came with it--Stephen
Chamberlayne, the doctor who'd been called in, and a solicitor.
Everything was done according to proper form and usage. As Chamberlayne
had been well known in the town, a good number of townsfolk met the
body at the station and followed it to the cemetery. Of course, many of
us who had been clients of Chamberlayne's were anxious to know how he
had come to such a sudden end. According to Stephen Chamberlayne's
account, our Chamberlayne had wired to him and to his solicitor to meet
him at the Cosmopolitan to do some business. They were awaiting him
there when he arrived, and they had lunch together. After that, they
got to their business in a private room. T