General Sir Arthur Billington-Smith's… Yes. There has been an accident… Yes, to the General. He's dead… No, not a natural death… You'll be up right now?… All right."
"What are we to do?" Halliday asked. "We can't leave him like this!"
"I think, sir, if I were to lock the door of this room it would be the best thing," said Finch. "With your permission I will do so, and keep the key until the police arrive."
"Yes, you'd better," agreed Guest. He cast a cursory glance down at the dead man. "Nothing for us to do here. We'd better be getting back to the women-folk."
At that moment a bell shrilled in the distance. Finch frowned slightly. "I think that is the front door, sir. If you will come now I will lock the room up before I answer the door."
"Never mind about that yet. Go and get rid of whoever it is," Halliday said.
The butler looked at him. "Yes, sir. If you will excuse me, I should prefer to see all locked up first."
Guest walked across to the door and took out the key, which was placed on the inside. "All right, Finch. I'll lock up," he said briefly.
"Very good, sir," Finch said, and went out.
"Give me the key!" said Halliday. "I'll do it. You get back to Lady Billington-Smith."
Stephen Guest fitted the key in again on the outside of the door. "That's all right. I shouldn't keep on looking at him, if I were you. Not a nice sight."
"No," Halliday said with a shudder. "Horrible!"
Finch came back and addressed himself to Guest. "It is Dr Raymond, sir, come to see her ladyship. I was wondering whether we should not inform the doctor of what has happened?"
"Yes, by all means," Guest answered. "Is he in the hall? I'll go out and speak to him."
The doctor was a burlyy man of about forty, with a cheerful manner and twinkling blue eyes. He was just pulling off his driving gloves when Guest came out of the study.
Guest said: "Good morning, doctor. My name's Guest. Would you mind coming into the study a moment?"
"Certainly," said Dr Raymond, looking somewhat surprised. "But I came to see Lady Billington-Smith. Is anything wrong?"
"Yes," said Guest bluntly. "Sir Arthur has just been discovered, dead."
The doctor's smile vanished. "Sir Arthur dead? Good heavens! I'll come at once."
When he stood inside the study and saw the General's body, his face changed. He shot one quick, searching look from Guest to Halliday, and then went up to the desk and bent over the still form there. He glanced up, and said in a curt, impersonal voice: "Do you know when this happened?"
"We're rather expecting you to tell us that," replied Guest.
Dr Raymond lifted the General's hand gently and tested the reflex action of the fingers. The three other nun stood silently waiting for him to finish his brief examination. Presently he straightened himself. "Have the police been notified?"
"As soon as it was discovered," replied Guest.
Halliday moved away from the door. "Have you formed any opinion as to when it could have been done, doctor?" he asked.
"It would be very hard to say with any exactness," the doctor answered. "Certainly within the last hour. Now if I may I should like to wash my hands, and then I think I had better see Lady Billington-Smith. She knows, of course, of this - tragedy?"
"Yes, she knows," Guest said. "Halliday, you might take the doctor along to the cloakroom. Nothing further you want to do here, doctor? Then Finch can shut the room up."
Halliday took him aside a moment "Look here, Guest, hadn't you or I better take the key? I mean - one can't be too careful, you know."
"I don't fancy you need worry about Finch," said Guest. "Still, you may be right. Doctor, will you take charge of the key till the police come?"
Outside they met Dinah, who had just come out of the drawing-room, looking rather pale but otherwise herself. "I say, this is pretty ghastly, isn't it?" she said. "Mrs. Twining's been telling us how she found him. What has got to be done? Can I help at all?"
"Keep everybody quiet," recommended
"What are we to do?" Halliday asked. "We can't leave him like this!"
"I think, sir, if I were to lock the door of this room it would be the best thing," said Finch. "With your permission I will do so, and keep the key until the police arrive."
"Yes, you'd better," agreed Guest. He cast a cursory glance down at the dead man. "Nothing for us to do here. We'd better be getting back to the women-folk."
At that moment a bell shrilled in the distance. Finch frowned slightly. "I think that is the front door, sir. If you will come now I will lock the room up before I answer the door."
"Never mind about that yet. Go and get rid of whoever it is," Halliday said.
The butler looked at him. "Yes, sir. If you will excuse me, I should prefer to see all locked up first."
Guest walked across to the door and took out the key, which was placed on the inside. "All right, Finch. I'll lock up," he said briefly.
"Very good, sir," Finch said, and went out.
"Give me the key!" said Halliday. "I'll do it. You get back to Lady Billington-Smith."
Stephen Guest fitted the key in again on the outside of the door. "That's all right. I shouldn't keep on looking at him, if I were you. Not a nice sight."
"No," Halliday said with a shudder. "Horrible!"
Finch came back and addressed himself to Guest. "It is Dr Raymond, sir, come to see her ladyship. I was wondering whether we should not inform the doctor of what has happened?"
"Yes, by all means," Guest answered. "Is he in the hall? I'll go out and speak to him."
The doctor was a burlyy man of about forty, with a cheerful manner and twinkling blue eyes. He was just pulling off his driving gloves when Guest came out of the study.
Guest said: "Good morning, doctor. My name's Guest. Would you mind coming into the study a moment?"
"Certainly," said Dr Raymond, looking somewhat surprised. "But I came to see Lady Billington-Smith. Is anything wrong?"
"Yes," said Guest bluntly. "Sir Arthur has just been discovered, dead."
The doctor's smile vanished. "Sir Arthur dead? Good heavens! I'll come at once."
When he stood inside the study and saw the General's body, his face changed. He shot one quick, searching look from Guest to Halliday, and then went up to the desk and bent over the still form there. He glanced up, and said in a curt, impersonal voice: "Do you know when this happened?"
"We're rather expecting you to tell us that," replied Guest.
Dr Raymond lifted the General's hand gently and tested the reflex action of the fingers. The three other nun stood silently waiting for him to finish his brief examination. Presently he straightened himself. "Have the police been notified?"
"As soon as it was discovered," replied Guest.
Halliday moved away from the door. "Have you formed any opinion as to when it could have been done, doctor?" he asked.
"It would be very hard to say with any exactness," the doctor answered. "Certainly within the last hour. Now if I may I should like to wash my hands, and then I think I had better see Lady Billington-Smith. She knows, of course, of this - tragedy?"
"Yes, she knows," Guest said. "Halliday, you might take the doctor along to the cloakroom. Nothing further you want to do here, doctor? Then Finch can shut the room up."
Halliday took him aside a moment "Look here, Guest, hadn't you or I better take the key? I mean - one can't be too careful, you know."
"I don't fancy you need worry about Finch," said Guest. "Still, you may be right. Doctor, will you take charge of the key till the police come?"
Outside they met Dinah, who had just come out of the drawing-room, looking rather pale but otherwise herself. "I say, this is pretty ghastly, isn't it?" she said. "Mrs. Twining's been telling us how she found him. What has got to be done? Can I help at all?"
"Keep everybody quiet," recommended
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