Have I, by any
chance, been given her room?"
"No, sir. Not likely. It's locked, and the police have the key till the
inquest is done with."
"As for the name," explained Ingerman, in his suave voice, "that was a
mere stage pseudonym, an adopted name. My wife was a famous actress, and
there is a sort of tacit agreement that a lady in the theatrical
profession shall be known to the public as 'Miss' rather than 'Mrs.'"
"Well, there!" wheezed Tomlin. "Who'd ever ha' thought it?"
The landlord was not quite rising to the occasion. He was, in fact,
stunned by these repeated shocks. So Hobbs took charge.
"It's a sad errand you're on, sir," he said. "Death comes to all of us,
man an' beast alike, but it's a terrible thing when a lady like Miss--
Mrs. ----"
"Ingerman is my name, but my wife will certainly be alluded to by the
press as Miss Melhuish."
"When a lady like Miss Melhuish is knocked on the 'ead like a--"
Mr. Hobbs hesitated again. He also felt that the situation was rather
beyond him.
"But my wife was flung into the river and drowned," said Ingerman sadly.
"No, sir. She was killed fust. It was a brutal business, so I'm told.
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