I almost saw confession in his face when he turned upon me at last with that extravagant expression of admiration for the woman you say he meant to kill." "Why did his finger go so continuously to his vest pocket?
When you answer that, I will give a name to what I just called _chance_." XXX THE CREEPING SHADOW Mrs.Taylor suffered a relapse, and the inquest which had been held back in anticipation of her recovery was again delayed.

This led to a like postponement of an inquiry into the death of Madame Duclos; and a consequent let-up in public interest which thus found itself, for the nonce, deprived of further food on which to batten.
Meanwhile, Mr.Gryce was not idle.

Anxious to determine just how and where Madame Duclos' story fitted into the deeper and broader one of the museum crime, he made use of his fast waning strength to probe its mysteries and master such of its details as bore upon the serious investigation to which he was so unhappily committed.

When he had done this,--when he had penetrated, as it were, into the very heart of the matter to the elimination of all doubt and the full establishment of his own theory, it was felt that the time had come for some sort of positive action on the part of those interested in the cause of justice.
This they decided should take the form of a personal interview between certain officials and Mr.Roberts himself.

A lesser man would have been asked to meet the District Attorney in his office; but in a case of such moment where the honor of one so prominent in many ways was involved it was thought best for them to visit him in his own home.