"It will probably come out at the inquest. When is the inquest?"
"It's been set for to-morrow; but it will probably be held open until Lucy Kingdon can testify."
"You'll beat the world a day, then."
"That's what I like to do. But here we are, and there's Haynes at the door."
We entered the yard, and Godfrey introduced me to the coroner. He impressed me at once as alert and efficient, and he led the way into the house, and asked that I tell him the story of the night before, which I did as circumstantially as I could.
"I hope your wound isn't a bad one," he said, when I had finished, glancing at my bandaged hand.
"Oh, no," I said; "a mere scratch. To tell the truth, I'd nearly forgotten it."
"Here's the weapon the bullet came from," he added, and produced from his pocket a small, pearl-handled revolver. "There are two chambers empty. The other bullet flew straighter than the one fired at you, Mr. Lester."
"You mean——"
"Yes, we probed for it and got it out. It had passed directly through the heart, and lodged in the muscles of the back. There can be no question that it came from this revolver."