"There's the hat, sir," said the guard. "It was found close near the corpse, and——Hello! Who are you?"
This was addressed to the intrusive stranger, who had suddenly pushed closer and stretched out his hand.
"What's that?" he said, pointing to a flower in the cupboard.
"That's a flower," returned the coastguard. "P'r'aps you didn't hear me ask you who you was?"
"Yes, I did," retorted the stranger, mildly. "Where did you find that flower?"
The coastguard stared.
"If you must know," he said, with dignity, "that there flower was clinched tight in the dead man's hand!"
"It was, was it!" said the stranger, quietly, pushing up to the cupboard, and taking up the flower. "A lily," he muttered. "I thought so."
Then, to the astonishment of the coastguard, he quietly shut the cupboard, locked it, and dropped the key in his pocket.