Joseph.
Joseph whispered: "Help me, Tilda! We must be natural! We must try not to let this horror get on top of us."
What he hoped she might be able to do she had no idea. An attempt to inaugurate a conversation upon any offer subject than Nathaniel's death would be regarded as callous, and must fail. She began to drink her soup, ignoring Joseph.
Valerie, growing momently more temperamental, refused soup, saying that it seemed awful to be sitting at dinner with Mr. Herriard dead upstairs.
"You don't drink soup because you think it's bad for your figure. You told us so," said Paula.
"Some people think a great deal of the Hay Diet," suddenly remarked Maud. "I daresay it is very good, though I myself have never had any trouble with my digestion. But Joseph has to be more careful. Rich food never agrees with him."
Sturry, who had been conferring with the footman in the doorway, approached Joseph's chair, and bent over it, murmuring bodingly: "Dr Stoke, sir."
Joseph leaned forward. "Stephen, my boy! The doctor!"
"You'd better take him up," said Stephen.
"You don't wish to be present? You have a right to be there."
"Thanks, not in the middle of dinner."
Joseph put back his chair, and rose, with what was felt to be a gallant attempt at a smile. "It shall be as you like, old fellow. I understand."
"I imagine you might."
"Hush! No bitter words tonight!" Joseph said, as he left the room.
He found the doctor in the hall, handing his coat and hat to the footman. "Stoke!" he said. "You know why you have been sent for? I needn't tell you."
"Herriard's man told me that there had been an accident to his master," the doctor replied. He looked narrowly at Joseph, and said in a sharper voice: "Nothing serious, I trust?"
Joseph made a hopeless gesture. "Dead!" he said.
"Dead!" The doctor was plainly startled. "Good God, what has happened?"
"A terrible thing, Stoke," Joseph said, shuddering. "I will take you to him."
"Is he in his own room?" Stoke asked, picking up his bag.
He was a spare, active man, and he ran up the broad stairs ahead of Joseph. Ford was sitting on a chair outside Nathaniel's door; the doctor glanced frowningly at him, and passed into the room. When he saw the position of Nathaniel's body, he went quickly up to it, and dropped on to his knees. The briefest of inspections convinced him that his patient was indeed dead; he looked up, as Joseph came into the room, and asked curtly: "The valet spoke of an accident. How did this happen?"
Joseph averted his eyes from Nathaniel's body, saying in a low tone: "Look at his back, Stoke!"
The doctor looked quickly down. Stephen had left Nathaniel lying much as he had found him, on his left side, exposing the little bloodstained rent in his coat.
There was a short silence; Joseph turned his back upon the doctor's activities, and gazed down into the dying embers in the grate.
The doctor rose from his knees. "I suppose you realise that this is a case of murder?" he said.
Joseph bowed his head.
"The police must be notified at once."
"It has already been done. They should be here any minute now."
"I will wait for them."
"It has been such a ghastly shock!" Joseph said, after an uncomfortable pause.
The doctor assented. He looked as though he too had suffered a shock.
"I suppose you don't know who - ?" he asked, leaving the sentence unfinished.
Joseph shook his head. "I almost feel I'd rather not know. If one could be sure he didn't suffer!"
"Oh, probably hardly at all!" Stoke said reassuringly.
"Thank you. It's a relief to know that. I suppose he must have died immediately."
"Well, within a very short time, anyway," conceded Stoke.
Joseph sighed, and relapsed into silence. This lasted until the arrival of a police inspector, with various satellites. Stephen brought them upstairs, and Joseph roused himself from his abstraction, greeting the Inspector, whom he knew, with a forced smile, and saying: "You know Dr Stoke, don't you?"
The room seemed suddenly to be
Joseph whispered: "Help me, Tilda! We must be natural! We must try not to let this horror get on top of us."
What he hoped she might be able to do she had no idea. An attempt to inaugurate a conversation upon any offer subject than Nathaniel's death would be regarded as callous, and must fail. She began to drink her soup, ignoring Joseph.
Valerie, growing momently more temperamental, refused soup, saying that it seemed awful to be sitting at dinner with Mr. Herriard dead upstairs.
"You don't drink soup because you think it's bad for your figure. You told us so," said Paula.
"Some people think a great deal of the Hay Diet," suddenly remarked Maud. "I daresay it is very good, though I myself have never had any trouble with my digestion. But Joseph has to be more careful. Rich food never agrees with him."
Sturry, who had been conferring with the footman in the doorway, approached Joseph's chair, and bent over it, murmuring bodingly: "Dr Stoke, sir."
Joseph leaned forward. "Stephen, my boy! The doctor!"
"You'd better take him up," said Stephen.
"You don't wish to be present? You have a right to be there."
"Thanks, not in the middle of dinner."
Joseph put back his chair, and rose, with what was felt to be a gallant attempt at a smile. "It shall be as you like, old fellow. I understand."
"I imagine you might."
"Hush! No bitter words tonight!" Joseph said, as he left the room.
He found the doctor in the hall, handing his coat and hat to the footman. "Stoke!" he said. "You know why you have been sent for? I needn't tell you."
"Herriard's man told me that there had been an accident to his master," the doctor replied. He looked narrowly at Joseph, and said in a sharper voice: "Nothing serious, I trust?"
Joseph made a hopeless gesture. "Dead!" he said.
"Dead!" The doctor was plainly startled. "Good God, what has happened?"
"A terrible thing, Stoke," Joseph said, shuddering. "I will take you to him."
"Is he in his own room?" Stoke asked, picking up his bag.
He was a spare, active man, and he ran up the broad stairs ahead of Joseph. Ford was sitting on a chair outside Nathaniel's door; the doctor glanced frowningly at him, and passed into the room. When he saw the position of Nathaniel's body, he went quickly up to it, and dropped on to his knees. The briefest of inspections convinced him that his patient was indeed dead; he looked up, as Joseph came into the room, and asked curtly: "The valet spoke of an accident. How did this happen?"
Joseph averted his eyes from Nathaniel's body, saying in a low tone: "Look at his back, Stoke!"
The doctor looked quickly down. Stephen had left Nathaniel lying much as he had found him, on his left side, exposing the little bloodstained rent in his coat.
There was a short silence; Joseph turned his back upon the doctor's activities, and gazed down into the dying embers in the grate.
The doctor rose from his knees. "I suppose you realise that this is a case of murder?" he said.
Joseph bowed his head.
"The police must be notified at once."
"It has already been done. They should be here any minute now."
"I will wait for them."
"It has been such a ghastly shock!" Joseph said, after an uncomfortable pause.
The doctor assented. He looked as though he too had suffered a shock.
"I suppose you don't know who - ?" he asked, leaving the sentence unfinished.
Joseph shook his head. "I almost feel I'd rather not know. If one could be sure he didn't suffer!"
"Oh, probably hardly at all!" Stoke said reassuringly.
"Thank you. It's a relief to know that. I suppose he must have died immediately."
"Well, within a very short time, anyway," conceded Stoke.
Joseph sighed, and relapsed into silence. This lasted until the arrival of a police inspector, with various satellites. Stephen brought them upstairs, and Joseph roused himself from his abstraction, greeting the Inspector, whom he knew, with a forced smile, and saying: "You know Dr Stoke, don't you?"
The room seemed suddenly to be
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