"Robbery, I suppose. His pockets were empty, and according to our information he was generally flush of money; where he got it, I don't know."
"Ah!" said Kilshaw meditatively; "his pockets empty! And have you no clue?"
"Not what you'd call a clue. Did you know the gentleman, sir?"
Kilshaw replied by saying that Mr. Puttock had introduced Benham to him and the acquaintance had continued—it was a political acquaintance purely.
"You don't know anything about him before he came here?"
Kilshaw suddenly perceived that he was being questioned, whereas his object had been to question.
"You say," he observed, "that you haven't got what you'd call a clue. What do you mean?"
"You can tell Mr. Kilshaw, if you like," said the Superintendent to the sergeant, who repeated his information.
"Gaspard! why that's the fellow the Premier—" and Mr. Kilshaw stopped short. After a moment, he asked abruptly, "Were there any papers on the body?"
"None, sir."