Why do you ask ?" Mr.Brimsdown hesitated, then said: "The thought has occurred to me that Robert Turold may have gone to the clock for a different purpose--not for papers.

Perhaps his last thought was to indicate the name of the murderer on the white face of the clock." "In his blood?
Rather a melodramatic idea, that! He had writing materials before him if he wanted to do that, if he thought of it.

He was shot down in the act of writing, remember." A silence fell between them on this declaration--a silence terminated by Barrant remarking that it was really late, and he must be getting back to Penzance.

Mr.Brimsdown made no suggestion to accompany him.

Instead he rustled papers in Robert Turold's cabinet as though to convey the impression that the sorting and searching of them would take him some time.