I suppose that is another coincidence ?" "Certainly it is," Miss Bellingham replied; and then she asked: "Shall we walk there together ?" and the old curmudgeon actually said "yes"-- confound him! We returned to the Gray's Inn Road, where, as there was now room for us to walk abreast, I proceeded to indemnify myself for the lawyer's unwelcome company by leading the conversation back to the subject of the missing man.
"Was there anything, Mr.Jellicoe, in Mr.John Bellingham's state of health that would make it probable that he might die suddenly ?" The lawyer looked at me suspiciously for a few moments and then remarked: "You seem to be greatly interested in John Bellingham and his affairs." "I am.

My friends are deeply concerned in them, and the case itself is of more than common interest from a professional point of view." "And what is the bearing of this particular question ?" "Surely it is obvious," said I."If a missing man is known to have suffered from some affection, such as heart disease, aneurism, or arterial degeneration, likely to produce sudden death, that fact will surely be highly material to the question as to whether he is probably dead or alive." "No doubt you are right," said Mr.Jellicoe.

"I have little knowledge of medical affairs, but doubtless you are right.

As to the question itself, I am Mr.Bellingham's lawyer, not his doctor.

His health is a matter that lies outside my jurisdiction.