"What would be the use? There would be nothing gained by that. My father died of a well-known disease; as far as anyone could tell it was a perfectly natural death. So would I have died a so-called natural death if the doctor had succeeded in his plan against me. That was the infernal cleverness of his scheme. Of course in the case of Miss Rowe's detention it is a different matter, but even there we may not be able to prove anything conclusive. We are up against an extraordinarily clever man. Still, I don't yet know the extent of our evidence against him; it may be very strong indeed. That's what I've got to find out."
"And all for the sake of your poor father's money, sir—which she'd have got in a few years' time anyhow!"
Roger was silent, knowing better than Chalmers, perhaps, the reason why Thérèse was not willing to wait for his father to die. He put on the light overcoat the butler held ready for him, thinking he would take one look at Esther before setting out. It was still very early; the life of the house had not yet begun. He knew that he would not find the chemist's shop open, and it might be several hours before he could accomplish much, but his restless state would not permit him to remain inactive.
As he left his room followed by Chalmers, a loud ringing and knocking at the front door caused them both to start and look at each other, recalling the dramatic entry of the police the night before. What could it be this time, and at this early hour?
"That will be a telegram, sir, I should say, though they don't generally make such a row, especially this time of day. I'll just see."
The clamour continued without ceasing. Roger let the old servant precede him down the stairs and saw him draw back the bolts of the door, muttering, "All right, all right—what's all the fuss about?"
On the threshold stood the excited figure of a telegraphic messenger, holding in his hand a dépêche which he did not trouble to deliver. Instead he burst out at once in a harsh, strained voice:
"Monsieur! Monsieur! On n'a pas su—on n'a pas regardé dehors—là-bas——"
"Comment?" demanded Roger, frowning. "Qu'est-ce qu'il y a?"
"Un accident, monsieur. Regardez donc!"