Merton reflected in silence.

‘The obvious view is not always the correct one,’ he said.  ’The marquis was, at least I thought that he was, a very eccentric person.’

‘No doubt about that,’ said the doctor.

’Very well.  He had reasons, such reasons as might occur to a mind like his, for wanting to test the character and conduct of Mr. Logan, his only living kinsman.  What I am going to say will seem absurd to you, but—­the marquis spoke to me of his malady as a kind of “dwawming,” I did not know what he meant, at the time, but yesterday I consulted the glossary of a Scotch novel:  to dwawm, I think, is to lose consciousness?’

The doctor nodded.

‘Now you have read,’ said Merton, ’the case published by Dr. Cheyne, of a gentleman, Colonel Townsend, who could voluntarily produce a state of “dwawm” which was not then to be distinguished from death?’

‘I have read it in the notes to Aytoun’s Scottish Cavaliers,’ said the doctor.

’Now, then, suppose that the marquis, waking out of such a state, whether voluntarily induced (which is very improbable) or not, thought fit to withdraw himself, for the purpose of secretly watching, from some retreat, the behaviour of his heir, if he has made Mr. Logan his heir?  Is that hypothesis absolutely out of keeping with his curious character?’

’No.  It’s crazy enough, if you will excuse me, but, for these last few weeks, at any rate, I would have swithered about signing a fresh certificate to the marquis’s sanity.’

‘You did, perhaps, sign one when he made his will, as he told me?’

‘I, and Dr. Gourlay, and Professor Grant,’ the doctor named two celebrated Edinburgh specialists.  ’But just of late I would not be so certain.’

‘Then my theory need not necessarily be wrong?’

‘It can’t but be wrong.  First, I saw the man dead.’

’Absolute tests of death are hardly to be procured, of course you know that better than I do,’ said Merton.

’Yes, but I am positive, or as positive as one can be, in the circumstances.  However, that is not what I stand on. There was a witness who saw the marquis go.’

‘Go—­how did he go?’

‘He disappeared.’

‘The body disappeared?’

’It did, but you had better hear the witness’s own account; I don’t think a second-hand story will convince you, especially as you have a theory.’

‘Was the witness a man or a woman?’

‘A woman,’ said the doctor.

‘Oh!’ said Merton.

‘I know what you mean,’ said the doctor.  ’You think, it suits your theory, that the marquis came to himself and—­’

‘And squared the female watcher,’ interrupted Merton; ’she would assist him in his crazy stratagem.’

‘Mr. Merton, you’ve read ower many novels,’ said the doctor, lapsing into the vernacular.  ’Well, your notion is not unthinkable, nor pheesically impossible.  She’s a queer one, Jean Bower, that waked the corpse, sure enough.  However, you’ll soon be on the spot, and can examine the case for yourself.  Mr. Logan has no idea but that the body was stolen for purposes of blackmail.’  He looked at his watch.  ’We must be going to catch the train, if she’s anything like punctual.’