sir. There's an entrance from St. Lawrence Lane, at the back."

"Is there any way from your rooms to the upper floors of the Moot Hall?"

"Yes, sir. There's a back stair, from our back door."

"Could anybody reach the Mayor's Parlour by that stair?"

"They could, sir, certainly; but either me or my wife would see them."

"Just so, if you were in your rooms. But you told us in your first
evidence that from about 7.20 or so until eight o'clock you were smoking
your pipe at the market-place entrance to the Moot Hall, where, of
course, you couldn't see your back door. That correct? Very well. Now,
while you were at the front, was your wife in your rooms at the back?"

"Yes, sir."

"Do you know what she was doing?"

"I do, sir. She was getting our supper ready."

"Are you sure she never left the house--your rooms, you know?"

Bunning started. Obviously, a new idea had occurred.

"Ay!" said Meeking, with a smile. "Just so, Bunning. You're not sure?"

"Well, sir," replied Bunning slowly, "now that I come to think of it,
I'm not! It never occurred to me before, but during that time my missis
may have been out of the place for a few minutes or so, to fetch the
supper beer, sir."

"To be sure! Now where does Mrs. Bunning get your supper beer?"

"At the _Chancellor_ Vaults, sir--round the corner."

Meeking turned quietly to the Coroner.

"I think we ought to have Mrs. Bunning's evidence," he remarked.

It took ten minutes to fetch Mrs. Bunning from her rooms in the lower
regions of the old Moot Hall. She came at last, breathless, and in her
working attire, and turned a wondering, good-natured face on the
barrister.

"Just a little question or two, Mrs. Bunning," he said
half-indifferently. "On the evening of the late Mayor's death, did you
go out to the _Chancellor_ Vaults to fetch your supper beer?"

"I did, sir--just as usual."

"What time?"

"A bit earlier than usual, sir--half-past seven."

"How long were you away?"

"Why, sir, to tell you the truth, nigh on to half an hour. I met a
neighbour at the corner and----"

"Exactly! And stopped chatting a bit. So you were out of your rooms in
the Moot Hall that evening from 7.30 to nearly eight o'clock?"

"Yes, sir."

Meeking gave the Coroner a glance, thrust his hands into his pockets,
and dropped back into his seat--silent and apparently satisfied.

CHAPTER XV

THE SPECIAL EDITION

But if the barrister was satisfied with the possibilities