"Did you call, sir?"
He knew I had called. The muscles of the fellow's face were trembling.
"Mr. Vernon's dead."
"Dead!"
Parkes' jaw dropped open. He staggered backwards.
"Come and look at him."
He did as I told him, unwillingly enough. He stood beside me, looking down at his master as he lay upon the floor. Words dropped from his lips.
"Mr. Crampton didn't do it."
I caught the words up quickly.
"Of course he didn't, but--how do you know?"