So much for that, thought Bryce.  He turned with more interest to the next witness—­the Duke of Saxonsteade, the great local magnate, a big, bluff man who had been present in court since the beginning of the proceedings, in which he was manifestly highly interested.  It was possible that he might be able to tell something of moment—­he might, after all, know something of this apparently mysterious stranger, who, for anything that Mrs. Partingley or anybody else could say to the contrary, might have had an appointment and business with him.

But his Grace knew nothing.  He had never heard the name of John Braden in his life—­so far as he remembered.  He had just seen the body of the unfortunate man and had looked carefully at the features.  He was not a man of whom he had any knowledge whatever—­he could not recollect ever having seen him anywhere at any time.  He knew literally nothing of him —­could not think of any reason at all why this Mr. John Braden should wish to see him.

“Your Grace has, no doubt, had business dealings with a good many people at one time or another,” suggested the Coroner.  “Some of them, perhaps, with men whom your Grace only saw for a brief space of time—­a few minutes, possibly.  You don’t remember ever seeing this man in that way?”

“I’m credited with having an unusually good memory for faces,” answered the Duke.  “And—­if I may say so—­rightly.  But I don’t remember this man at all—­in fact, I’d go as far as to say that I’m positive I’ve never—­knowingly—­set eyes on him in my life.”

“Can your Grace suggest any reason at all why he should wish to call on you?” asked the Coroner.

“None!  But then,” replied the Duke, “there might be many reasons—­unknown to me, but at which I can make a guess.  If he was an antiquary, there are lots of old things at Saxonsteade which he might wish to see.  Or he might be a lover of pictures—­our collection is a bit famous, you know.  Perhaps he was a bookman—­we have some rare editions.  I could go on multiplying reasons—­but to what purpose?”

“The fact is, your Grace doesn’t know him and knows nothing about him,” observed the Coroner.

“Just no—­nothing!” agreed the Duke and stepped down again.

It was at this stage that the Coroner sent the jurymen away in charge of his officer to make a careful personal inspection of the gallery in the clerestory.  And while they were gone there was some commotion caused in the court by the entrance of a police official who conducted to the Coroner a middle-aged, well-dressed man whom Bryce at once set down as a London commercial magnate of some quality.  Between the new arrival and the Coroner an interchange of remarks was at once made, shared in presently by some of the officials at the table.  And when the jury came back the stranger was at once ushered into the witness-box, and the Coroner turned to the jury and the court.