Ten
A D ECISION IN J AMESTOWN
D r. Graham was in Jamestown, in the Administrator’s office, sitting at a table opposite his friend Daventry, a graveyoung man of thirty-five.
“You sounded rather mysterious on the phone, Graham,” said Daventry. “Anything special the matter?”
“I don’t know,” said Dr. Graham, “but I’m worried.”
Daventry looked at the other’s face, then he nodded as drinks were brought in. He spoke¹ lightly of a fishingexpedition he had made lately. Then when the servant had gone away, he sat back in his chair and looked at the otherman.
“Now then,” he said, “let’s have it.”
Dr. Graham recounted the facts that had worried him. Daventry gave a slow long whistle.
“I see. You think maybe there’s something funny about old Palgrave’s death? You’re no longer sure that it was justnatural causes? Who certified² the death? Robertson, I suppose. He didn’t have any doubts, did he?”
“No, but I think he may have been influenced in giving the certificate by the fact of the Serenite tablets in thebathroom. He asked me if Palgrave had mentioned that he suffered from hypertension, and I said No, I’d never hadany medical conversation with him myself, but apparently³ he had talked about it to other people in the hotel. Thewhole thing—the bottle of tablets, and what Palgrave had said to people—it all fitted in—no earthly reason to suspectanything else. It was a perfectly⁴ natural inference to make—but I think now it may not have been correct. If it hadbeen my business to give the certificate, I’d have given it without a second thought. The appearances are quiteconsistent with his having died from that cause. I’d never have thought about it since if it hadn’t been for the odddisappearance of that snapshot….”
“But look here, Graham,” said Daventry, “if you will allow me to say so, aren’t you relying a little too much on arather fanciful story told you by an elderly lady? You know what these elderly ladies are like. They magnify somesmall detail and work the whole thing up.”
“Yes, I know,” said Dr. Graham, unhappily. “I know that. I’ve said to myself that it may be so, that it probably isso. But I can’t quite convince myself. She was so very clear and

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