“Poor gentleman! And he looked so healthy, too. Hadn’t I better go for a doctor, sir?”
“Perhaps you had; although it will be of no use,” was Colonel Dacre’s reply.
“I dare say not; but it might have an ugly look if we tried to hush the thing up, sir.”
Colonel Dacre saw the reasonableness of this argument, although it had not occurred to him in the agitated preoccupation of the moment. He promised to watch beside the dead man while Mr. Wiginton went to the village to fetch the doctor. But it so happened that Doctor Dale had been up all night with a patient, and was just passing the house on his way home as Wiginton issued forth.
His visit was a mere matter of form, naturally. As there were no signs of violence on the body Doctor Dale drew the same conclusion as Wiginton, that the man died by the visitation of God. He put a few questions to Colonel Dacre, as to whether he knew the deceased gentleman, or had any reason to suppose that he had been the victim of foul play. And on the other replying in the negative he seemed perfectly satisfied, and said he would go home and get a little rest, and send round to the coroner later in the morning.
“He has probably died from heart-disease,” he concluded, moving toward the door. “But that we shall ascertain, I have no doubt.”
“You will have a post-mortem examination, I suppose.”
“Certainly; at least, I have no doubt of it whatever.”
“You are not prepared, then, to give a certificate as to the cause of death?”
“Well, not exactly. I like to be very careful in these matters, as one’s reputation is often at stake. This gentleman’s family will investigate the case thoroughly we may be sure, and I think it is better to be beforehand with them. You say you have no idea who the poor fellow is?”