Madame Sara | Page 8

us into the dining-room, where we found Dr. Osborne, whom Selby had
called in when the alarm of Edith's illness had been first given. Dr.
Osborne was a pale, under-sized, very young man. His face expressed
considerable alarm. Vandeleur, however, managed to put him
completely at his ease.
"I will have a chat with you in a few minutes, Dr. Osborne," he said;
"but first I must get Mr. Selby's report. Will you please tell me, sir,
exactly what occurred?"
"Certainly," he answered. "We had a reception here last night, and my
sister-in-law did not go to bed until early morning; she was in bad
spirits, but otherwise in her usual health. My wife went into her room
after she was in bed, and told me later on that she had found Edith in
hysterics, and could not get her to explain anything. We both talked
about taking her to the country without delay. Indeed, our intention was
to get off this afternoon."
"Well?" said Vandeleur.
We had breakfast about half-past nine, and Miss Dallas came down,
looking quite in her usual health, and in apparently good spirits. She ate
with appetite, and, as it happened, she and my wife were both helped
from the same dish. The meal had nearly come to end when she jumped
up from the table, uttered a sharp cry, turned very pale, pressed her
hand to her side, and ran out of the room. My wife immediately

followed her. She came back again in a minute or two, and said that
Edith was in violent pain, and begged of me to send for a doctor. Dr.
Osborne lives just round the corner. He came at once, but she died
almost immediately after his arrival."
"You were in the room?" asked Vandeleur, turning to Osborne.
"Yes," he replied. "She was conscious to the last moment, and died
suddenly."
"Did she tell you anything?"
"No, except to assure me that she had not eaten any food that day until
she had come down to breakfast. After the death occurred I sent
immediately to report the case, locked the door of the room where the
poor girl's body is, and saw also that nobody touched anything on this
table."
Vandeleur rang the bell and a servant appeared. He gave quick orders.
The entire remains of the meal were collected and taken charge of, and
then he and the coroner's officer went upstairs.
When we were alone Selby sank into a chair. His face was quite drawn
and haggard.
"It is the horrible suddenness of the thing which is so appalling," he
cried. "As to Beatrice, I don't believe she will ever be the same again.
She was deeply attached to Edith. Edith was nearly ten years her senior,
and always acted the part of mother to her. This is a sad beginning to
our life. I can scarcely think collectedly."
I remained with him a little longer, and then, as Vandeleur did not
return, went back to my own house. There I could settle to nothing, and
when Vandeleur rang me up on the telephone about six o'clock I
hurried off to his rooms. As soon as I arrived I saw that Selby was with
him, and the expression on both their faces told me the truth.
"This is a bad business," said Vandeleur. "Miss Dallas has died from

swallowing poison. An exhaustive analysis and examination have been
made, and a powerful poison, unknown to European toxicologists, has
been found. This is strange enough, but how it has been administered is
a puzzle. I confess, at the present moment, we are all non-plussed. It
certainly was not in the remains of the breakfast, and we have her dying
evidence that she took nothing else. Now, a poison with such appalling
potency would take effect quickly. It is evident that she was quite well
when she came to breakfast, and that the poison began to work towards
the close of the meal. But how did she get it? This question, however, I
shall deal with later on. The more immediate point is this. The situation
is a serious one in view of the monetary issues and the value of the
lady's life. From the aspects of the case, her undoubted sanity and her
affection for her sister, we may almost exclude the idea of suicide. We
must, therefore, call it murder. This harmless, innocent lady is struck
down by the hand of an assassin, and with such devilish cunning that
no trace or clue is left behind. For such an act there must have been
some very powerful motive, and the person who designed and executed
it must be a criminal the highest order of scientific ability. Mr. Selby
has been telling me the exact financial position of the poor