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I thought it best to undeceive hi explained who I was, I showed him the coroner's permit, which he read with manifest annoyance

"This is all very well, sir," said he as he handed me back the paper, "but it doesn't authorise you to cos of the police Any remains that we discover will be deposited in the mortuary, where you can inspect them to your heart's content; but you can't stay here and watch us"

I had no defined object in keeping a watch on the inspector's proceedings; but the sergeant's indiscreet hint had aroused er's evident desire to get rid of , the pu now pretty fully exposed), and the inspector's assistant was handling the shovel impatiently

"Now, I put it to you, Inspector," said I, persuasively, "is it politic of you to allow it to be said that you refused an authorised representative of the fa any statements that you may make hereafter?"

"What do you mean?" he asked

"I mean that if you should happen to find some bone which could be identified as part of the body of Mr Bellingham, that fact would be of more importance to his family than to anyone else You know that there is a very valuable estate and a rather difficult will"

"I didn't know it, and I don't see the bearing of it now" (neither did I, for thatpresent at the search, I can't very well refuse Only youthis conclusion, his assistant, who looked like a plain-clothes officer, took up his shovel and stepped into theas he went and peering a the masses of weed that had been left stranded by the withdrawal of the water The inspector watched hi hi"; the labourer left the puin of the mud, and the constable and I looked on froe For some time the search was fruitless Once the searcher stooped and picked up what turned out to be a frag-deceased jay were discovered, examined, and rejected Suddenly the man bent down by the side of a small pool that had been left in one of the deeper hollows, stared intently into the mud, and stood up