And now I'm rather in a quandary as to whether I ought to tell her what I heard, and indeed as to whether I ought even to send her the report of the inquest which appeared in a local paper, and which I at last managed to secure." "Of course I know that Colonel Crofton committed suicide." Janet Tosswill lowered her voice instinctively.

"That poor, second-rate little woman seems to have told Rosamund as much, and Godfrey Radmore confirmed it." "Yes, I suppose one ought to say that there is no real doubt that he committed suicide." Yet Miss Pendarth's voice seemed to imply that there was some doubt.
She went on: "It was suggested at the inquest that the chemist who made up a certain heart tonic Colonel Crofton had been in the habit of taking for some time, had put in a far larger dose of strychnine than was right." Janet Tosswill repeated in a startled tone: "Strychnine! You don't mean to say the poor man committed suicide with that horrible poison ?" Miss Pendarth looked up, and Janet was struck by her pallor and look of pain.

"Yes, Janet; he died of a big dose of strychnine, and the medical evidence given at the inquest makes most painful reading." "It _must_ have been a mistake on the part of the chemist.

No sane man would take strychnine in order to commit suicide.

Besides, how could he have got it ?" "There was strychnine in the house," said Miss Pendarth slowly.