"Perhaps you'll tell--" she began.
"Was he a friend of yours, sir ?" asked Mitchington.

"A personal friend ?" "Never saw him in my life before last night!" replied the tall man.

"We just chanced to meet in the train coming down from London, got talking, and discovered we were both coming to the same place--Wrychester.
So--we came to this house together.

No--no friend of mine--not even an acquaintance--previous, of course, to last night.

Is--is it anything serious ?" "He's dead, sir," replied Mitchington.