“Possibly,” the coroner agreed, rather drily, “but as the point is of considerable importance, I should be glad if you would presently look through your case-cards and see if you can glean any definite information on the subject. Meanwhile we may pass on to one or two other matters. First as to the medicine which you prescribed for deceased; it contained, as you have told us, a certain amount of Fowler’s Solution, and you considered deceased to be suffering from chronic gastritis. Is Fowler’s Solution usually given in cases of gastritis?”
“No. It is usually considered rather unsuitable. But deceased was very tolerant of small doses of arsenic. I had often given it to him before as a tonic and it had always seemed to agree with him. The dose was extremely small—only two minims.”
“How long have you known deceased?”
“I have known, and attended him professionally about twenty years.”
“From your knowledge of him, should you say that he was a man who was likely to make enemies?”
“Not at all. He was a kindly, just and generous man, amiable and even-tempered; rather reserved and aloof; not very human, perhaps, and somewhat self-contained and solitary. But I could not imagine him making an enemy and, so far as I know, he never did.”
The coroner reflected awhile after writing down this answer and then turned to the jury.
“Are there any questions that you wish to put to the witness, gentlemen?”
The jury consulted together for a few moments, and the foreman then replied:
“We should like to know, Sir, if possible, whether Mrs. Monkhouse was or was not away from home when the previous relapses occurred.”