"Give her all my sympathies, poor young lady," he said to me. "And tell her that I will call upon her to-morrow." Then, after promising to attend the inquest and give evidence regarding the post-mortem, he shook hands with us both and left.
At eight o'clock that evening I was back in my own rooms in Harley Place, eating my dinner alone, when Ambler Jevons entered.
He was not as cheery as usual. He did not exclaim, as was his habit, "Well, my boy, how goes it? Whom have you killed to-day?" or some such grim pleasantry.
On the contrary, he came in with scarcely a word, threw his hat upon a side table, and sank into his usual armchair with scarcely a word, save the question uttered in almost a growl:
"Of course," I said, continuing my meal. "Where have you been?"
"I left while you were cutting up the body," he said. "I've been about a lot since then, and I'm a bit tired."
"No," he responded, shaking his head. "I don't drink when I'm bothered. This case is an absolute mystery." And striking a match he lit his foul pipe and puffed away vigorously, staring straight into the fire the while.
"Well," I asked, after a long silence. "What's your opinion now?"
"I've none," he answered, gloomily. "What's yours?"
"Mine is that the mystery increases hourly."
In a few words I explained the unaccountable nature of the wound, drawing for him a rough diagram on the back of an old envelope, which I tossed over to where he sat.
He looked at it for a long time without speaking, then observed:
"H'm! Just as I thought. The police theory regarding that fellow Short and the knife is all a confounded myth. Depend upon it, Boyd, old chap, that gentleman is no fool. He's tricked Thorpe finely--and with a motive, too."
"What motive do you suspect?" I inquired, eagerly, for this was an entirely fresh theory.
"One that you'd call absurd if I were to tell it to you now. I'll explain later on, when my suspicions are confirmed--as I feel sure they will be before long."
"You're mysterious, Ambler," I said, surprised. "Why?"
"I have a reason, my dear chap," was all the reply he vouchsafed. Then he puffed again vigorously at his pipe, and filled the room with clouds of choking smoke of a not particularly good brand of tobacco.