CHAPTER XIII.
It was two o'clock when Sir Henry Wilding's motor turned its back upon the outskirts of London, and it was a quarter past seven when it whirled up to the stables of Wilding Hall, and the baronet and his grey-headed, bespectacled and white-spatted companion alighted, having taken five hours and a quarter to make a journey which the trains which run daily between Liverpool Street and Darsham make in four.
As a matter of fact, however, they really had outstripped the train, but it had been Cleek's pleasure to make two calls on the way, one at Saxmundham, where the paralysed Murple lay in the infirmary of the local practitioner, the other at the mortuary where the body of Tolliver was retained, awaiting the sitting of the coroner.

Both the dead and the still living man Cleek had subjected to a critical personal examination, but whether either furnished him with any suggested clue he did not say; indeed, the only remark he made upon the subject was when Sir Henry, on hearing from Murple's wife that the doctor had said he would probably not last the week out, had inquired if the woman knew where to "put her hand on the receipt for the payment of the last premium, so that her claim could be sent into the life assurance company without delay when the end came." "Tell me something, Sir Henry," said Cleek when he heard that, and noticed how gratefully the woman looked at the baronet when she replied, "Yes, Sir Henry, God bless you, sir!" "Tell me, if it is not an impertinent question, did you take out an insurance policy on Murple's life and pay the premium on it yourself?
I gathered the idea that you did from the manner in which the woman spoke to you." "Yes, I did," replied Sir Henry.

"As a matter of fact, I take out a similar policy--payable to the widow--for every married man I employ in connection with my racing stud." "May I ask why ?" "Well, for one thing, they usually are too poor and have too many children to support to be able to take it out for themselves, and exercising racers has a good many risks.

Then, for another thing, I'm a firm believer in the policy of life assurance.

It's just so much money laid up in safety, and one never knows what may happen." "Then it is fair," said Cleek, "to suppose, in that case, that you have taken out one on your own life ?" "Yes--rather! And a whacking big one, too." "And Lady Wilding is, of course, the beneficiary ?" "Certainly.