"At least," he thinks, "I'll know what they are about, and what their verdict is."
But in this he is disappointed. They have brought with them a surgeon's knife; the precise counterpart of the one now in possession of the prosecution, and of the same manufacture.
One by one they examine, they compare, they probe, and all in silence. Then they turn toward O'Meara.
"I believe we have finished," says Professor Harrington.
"And the result?" asks Jasper Lamotte, eagerly, in spite of himself.
"That," replies Mr. O'Meara, with elaborate nonchalance, "will be made known at the trial. Mr. Lamotte, we trust that you will pardon this most necessary intrusion, and we wish you a very good morning."
The examination has been a very brief affair; it is just ten o'clock when the four unwelcome guests drive away.
Doctor Benoit does not accompany them; he goes up-stairs to visit his patients.
Jasper Lamotte asks him no questions. He knows that Doctor Benoit is a man of honor and that he will keep his professional secrets. So he goes sulkily back to his library.
Two hours later a rough, uncouth looking man appears at the servants' entrance, and asks to see Mr. Lamotte.