At last David spoke. He said in a hard level voice:
“Edward, I can’t sign the certificate. There will have to be an inquest.”
Edward Mottisfont looked up with a great start.
“An inquest?” he said, “an inquest?”
One of David’s hands rested on the table. “I can’t sign the certificate,” he repeated.
Edward stared at him.
“Why not?” he said. “I don’t understand——”
“Don’t you?” said David Blake.
Edward rumpled up his hair in a distracted fashion.
“I don’t understand,” he repeated. “An inquest? Why, you’ve been attending him all these months, and you said he might die at any time. You said it only the other day. I don’t understand——”