As though in answer to his question the landlord came into sight at the top of the stairs. "Sorry to keep you waiting, sir," he said, "but I stayed to pop on my clothes. Spindle says you wanted to use the telephone, urgent, sir. I do hope nothing's wrong up at the Priory?" He came down as quickly as a man of his bulk might, and they saw that he was fully clothed and that his placid countenance had taken on a look of anxiety.
"No, there's nothing wrong at the Priory," Charles answered. "It's that fellow, Duval. We've just been up to his place, and - he's dead."
The landlord fell back a pace. "Dead." he echoed.
"Dooval? So that's…' A cough broke off what he was about to say. He went on again when the spasm was at an end: "So that's why he never turned up to-night like he generally does," he said. "How - what happened, sir? Was it the drugs he takes, do you think? Perhaps he ain't actually dead. I have heard as how they often goes into a kind of a stupor."
"He's dead right enough," Charles said grimly. "We found him hanging from his own ceiling."
The landlord's rosy cheeks turned suddenly pale. "Hanging?" he whispered. "You mean - someone - did him in?"
"No, it looks like suicide on the whole. I say, can you get us a drink? We feel we need one after this."
Wilkes turned mechanically towards the bar. "Yes, sir. That is, it's after hours, you know, sir, but I can stretch a point seeing what the reason is. I - I take it you wanted to ring up the police?"
"Naturally. They'll be over in about half an hour, I should imagine. Can we sit and wait here till they come?"
"Yes, sir, certainly. Will you have a whisky? And I'd be glad if you'd keep it quiet that I served you after hours, if you don't mind, sir." He measured out two tots, still looking rather pale about the gills. Charles told him to pour a third for himself, and he did so. "Hanged!" he repeated. "My Gawd, sir, I can't get over it! Regular shock it is, when I think how he took his dinner here this morning same as usual. He did seem a bit queerer than usual now I come to think of it, but there, he was always such a one for going off into one of them silly fits that I didn't set any store by it."