“No,” I answered; “but Dr. Thorndyke mentioned that Mr. Polton might have something to tell us. Why are we all to have a holiday?”
“Why, you see, sir,” said Polton, standing up and forgetting all about his eyelashes, “the Doctor instructed me to make an appointment with those two ladies, Miss Dewsnep and Miss Bonington, to come to our chambers on a matter of identification. I have made the appointment for ten o’clock to-morrow morning; and as the Doctor wants you to be present at the interview and wants me to be in attendance, and we can’t leave Miss D’Arblay here alone, we have arranged to shut up the studio for to-morrow.”
“Yes,” said Marion; “and Arabella and I are going to spend the morning looking at the shops in Regent-street, and then we are coming to lunch with you and Dr. Thorndyke. It will be quite a red-letter day.”
“I don’t quite see what these ladies are coming to the chambers for,” said I.
“You will see, all in good time, sir,” replied Polton; and, as if to head me off from any further questions, he added: “I forgot to ask how your little party went off this morning.”
“It went off with a bang,” I answered. “We got the coffin up all right, but Mr. Fox wasn’t at home. The coffin was empty.”
“I rather think that was what the Doctor expected,” said Polton.
Marion looked at me with eager curiosity. “This sounds rather thrilling,” she said. “May one ask who it was that you expected to find in that coffin?”
“My impression is,” I replied, “that the missing tenant was a person who bore a strong resemblance to that photograph that I showed you.”
“Oh, dear!” she exclaimed. “What a pity! I wish that coffin hadn’t been empty. But, of course, it could hardly have been occupied, under the circumstances. I suppose I mustn’t ask for fuller details?”