“Look,” said Egg’s voice. “Mr. Babbington is ill.”
Sir Bartholomew Strange came forward hurriedly, supporting the stricken man and half lifting him to a couch at one side of the room. The others crowded round, anxious to help, but impotent….
Two minutes later Strange straightened himself and shook his head. He spoke bluntly, aware that it was no use to beat about the bush.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “He’s dead….”
Three
SIR CHARLES WONDERS
“Come in here a minute, Satterthwaite, will you?”
Sir Charles poked his head out of the door.
An hour and a half had passed. To confusion had succeeded peace. Lady Mary had led the weeping Mrs. Babbington out of the room and had finally gone home with her to the vicarage. Miss Milray had been efficient with the telephone. The local doctor had arrived and taken charge. A simplified dinner had been served, and by mutual consent the house party had retired to their rooms after it. Mr. Satterthwaite had been making his own retreat when Sir Charles had called to him from the door of the Ship room where the death had taken place.
Mr. Satterthwaite passed in, repressing a slight shiver as he did so. He was old enough not to like the sight of death…For soon, perhaps, he himself…But why think of that?
“I’m good for another twenty years,” said Mr. Satterthwaite robustly to himself.
The only other occupant of the Ship room was Bartholomew Strange. He nodded approval at the sight of Mr. Satterthwaite.
“Good man,” he said. “We can do with Satterthwaite. He knows life.”
A little surprised, Mr. Satterthwaite sat down in an armchair near the doctor. Sir Charles was pacing up and down. He had forgotten the semi-clenching of his hands and looked definitely less naval.
“Charles doesn’t like it,” said Sir Bartholomew. “Poor old Babbington’s death, I mean.”
Mr. Satterthwaite thought the sentiment ill expressed. Surely nobody could be expected to “like” what had occurred. He realized that Strange had quite another meaning from the bald one the words conveyed.
“It was very distressing,” said Mr. Satterthwaite, cautiously feeling his way. “Very distressing indeed,” he added with a reminiscent shiver.
“H’m, yes, it was rather painful,” said the physician, the professional accent creeping for a moment into his voice.
Cartwright paused in his pacing.
“Ever see anyone die quite like that before, Tollie?”
“No,” said Sir Bartholomew thoughtfully. “I can’t say that I have.
“But,” he added in a moment or two, “I haven’t really seen as many deaths as you might suppose. A nerve specialist doesn’t kill off many of his patients. He keeps ’em alive and makes his income out of them. MacDougal has seen far more deceases than I have, I don’t doubt.”
Dr. MacDougal was the principal doctor in Loomouth, whom Miss Milray had summoned.
“MacDougal didn’t see this man die. He was dead when he arrived. There was only what we could tell him, what you could tell him. He said it was some kind of seizure, said Babbington was elderly, and his health was none too good. That doesn’t satisfy me.”
“Probably didn’t satisfy him,” grunted the other. “But a doctor has to say something. Seizure is a good word—means nothing at all, but satisfies the lay mind. And, after all, Babbington was elderly, and his health had been giving him trouble lately; his wife told us so. There may have been some unsuspected weakness somewhere.”
“Was that a typical fit or seizure, or whatever you call it?”
“Typical of what?”
“Of any known disease?”
“If you’d ever studied medicine,” said Sir Bartholomew, “you’d know that there is hardly any such thing as a typical case.”
“What, precisely, are you suggesting, Sir Charles?” asked Mr. Satterthwaite.