"Marvellous!" Bruce cried. "It is exactly as you have said."
"Of course it is," Lawrence replied. "One question more. How many times did the hall gas go out when you were there?"
Bruce looked at the speaker absolutely too astounded to say a word.
[CHAPTER XIV.]
"CROWNER'S QUEST."
Hetty was conscious of a sea of curious eyes and white, eager faces. As the days went on public interest in the Corner House mystery had not abated. All sorts of vague stories had got about, and in some mysterious way the name of Dr. Gordon Bruce was mixed up in it.
Why he had not been arrested Bruce could not imagine. The tale he had volunteered to Prout and his signature on the back of the notes were almost in themselves enough to hang a man. Perhaps a little private conversation between Prout and Lawrence had had the effect of postponing matters. Bruce was not in the least likely to run away; on the contrary, he had volunteered to give evidence at the adjourned inquest. Hetty also would have something to say that would be in favour of her lover.
"After all, they can't definitely say that those notes were ever in the possession of the murdered man," she whispered to Bruce. "He wrote the letter, of course, but they don't know he really possessed the notes."
"I am afraid they do," Bruce replied. "They are going to call a cashier from the National Credit Bank who positively identified the deceased as the man who changed £400 in gold for notes, part of which notes were numbers 190753 to 190792, or the notes I paid to Capper. That piece of evidence cannot possibly be shaken."