of his examiner. Penelope was more indignant, if anything, than Dick, but she had read in a newspaper that repudiated the theory of murder, a collection of accounts of deaths which had been thought suspicious that were afterwards proven to be the result of heart disease or[Page 27] poison, and she quietly hoped that the doctors who held the post-mortem examination would set at rest all the doubts in the case. [Page 27] The park policeman, in a grandiloquent manner, gave his testimony. He told how he found the young couple bending over the dead girl, who was half lying on a bench. When the officer asked what was wrong, the young man, who seemed excited and frightened—and he laid great stress on those words—replied “The girl is dead.” The officer had then looked at the body but did not touch it. The young people denied any knowledge of the girl’s identity, and then his suspicions being aroused he asked the young man why he had replied “The girl is dead,” if he did not know her? The young man repeated that he had never seen the dead girl before, and his companion gave him a quick, frightened glance; so the officer said sternly: [Page 28] [Page 28] “Be careful, young man, remember you are talking to the law; I’ll have to report everything you say.” And then the officer paused to take breath and at the same time to give proper weight to his words. Everybody took the opportunity to remove their gaze from the officer and to see how Dick Treadwell was bearing it. They were getting more interested now and nearly everyone felt that the elegant young man would be in the clutches of the law by the time the inquest was adjourned. The officer cleared his throat and in a deep, gruff voice continued his story. At his warning the young man had flushed very red, then paled, and then he called the officer a fool. Still the conscientious limb of the law determined to know more about two young people, who, while able to drive, were doing such unusual and extraordinary things as walking[Page 29] early in the Park and happening upon the dead body of a young girl; so he asked the young man why, if he did not know the girl, he did not say “a girl is dead here,” instead of “the girl is dead,” whereupon the young man told the officer again
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