been helping him lately," admitted Kilshaw; and he added, "Look
here, Superintendent, I don't want that more talked about than
necessary."

"You needn't say a word to me now unless you like, sir; but I only want
to make things as comfortable as I can. You see, the coroner is bound to
look into it a bit. Had you given him money lately?"

"Yes."

"Much?"

Kilshaw leant forward and answered, almost in a whisper,

"Five hundred on Friday night," and in spite of himself he avoided the
Superintendent's shrewd eye. But that officer's business was not to pass
moral judgments. Law is one thing, morality another.

"Then the thing's as plain as a pikestaff. This Gaspard got to know
about the money, and murdered him to get it. We needn't look further for
a motive."

"I suppose all this will have to come out? I wonder if Gaspard knew who
Benham was?"

"It's not necessary to suppose that, unless we believe all Evans says.
Certainly, if we trust Evans, Gaspard hinted designs on some one before
he could have known Benyon had this money. Could he have known he was
going to have it?"

"Benyon may have told him I had promised to help him."

"Well, sir, we must see about that. We shall want you at the inquest,
sir."

"I suppose you will, confound you! And I should think you'd want a
greater man than I am, too."

The Superintendent looked grave.

"I am going up to try and see the Premier at the House to-day," he said.
"I think we shall have to trouble him. You see, he knew Gaspard as well
as the deceased."

"I'll give you a lift. You can keep out of the way till he's at
leisure."

At this moment one of the police entered, and handed the Superintendent
a copy of the _Evening Mail_.

"It's as you feared, sir," he remarked as he went out.

The Superintendent opened the paper, looked at it for an instant, and
then indicated a passage with his forefinger.

"It is rumoured," read Mr. Kilshaw, "that certain very startling facts
have come to light regarding the identity of the deceased man Benham,
and that the name of a very prominent politician, now holding an exalted
office, is likely to be introduced into the case. As the matter will be
public property to-morrow, we may be allowed to state that trustworthy
reports point to the fact of the Premier being in a position to give
some important information as to the past life of the deceased. It is
said that a photograph of two persons, one of whom is Mr. Medland, has
been di