When Dentham asserted that the body of Adrian Lancaster had been removed to Beryle Square, he told a lie, as the police refused to allow any such thing. A doctor had been called in, who pronounced life to be extinct, and the body was now lying on a couch in the sitting-room, where it was to remain until the inquest. Olive had refused to leave the house since the discovery, and in despair, Teddy, afraid to leave her by herself, had telegraphed to her father to come to Hampstead. Sir John immediately obeying the summons, had come up by the night train, and the three of them were now in the room, talking over the affair. Dentham had disappeared. The police were in possession of the house, and now Sir John was trying to persuade his daughter to come into town to the Metropole Hotel, and take the rest she so sadly needed.
In spite of the verdict of the doctor, Teddy Rudall firmly refused to believe that Adrian was dead, and declared with the greatest confidence that he was only in a trance. It was this statement that made Olive refuse to leave the house, as she half thought that Teddy might be right in his belief, and Adrian would come back to life again, so she was unwilling to be absent in case he should revive while she was away. The sergeant of the police, who was present, now insisted respectfully that they should all leave the house, as it was nearly nine o'clock, and he was unable to retire until they did. Under this pressure, Olive had consented to accompany her father and Teddy into town.
"I'll come back in the morning," she said turning to the sergeant, "and if he shows any signs of reviving, mind you send a messenger at once to the Metropole.
"Yes miss—certainly!"
"What nonsense, Olive!" said her father testily, for the unpleasantness of the situation was beginning to tell even on his genial temper. "I'm afraid there's no chance of poor Adrian's revival, he is dead—quite dead."
"There I disagree with you," interposed Teddy quietly, "he is in a trance."
"But the doctor?"
"I don't care what the doctor says—he isn't the Pope, to be infallible—if Adrian were dead, his body would have decayed long ago."
"I'm sure, papa, if you believe in theosophy you can see that Dr. Roversmire has hypnotised poor Adrian," said Olive firmly, "I daresay if Dr. Roversmire were here, he could bring him to life again."
"Oh, he'll come back here, miss," observed the sergeant confidently, "then he'll be arrested at once and to save his own skin, he'll do what he can."