The Strange Boarders of Palace Crescent by E. Phillips Oppenheim

A coroner's inquest, in nineteen cases out of twenty, may be a dull enough affair but a coroner's inquest in which the subject was obviously the victim of a cold-blooded murder, and in connection with which no arrest has yet been made, may contain every element of drama and the excitement that waits upon it. That, at any rate, seemed to have been the opinion of the crowd who had streamed into the small room attached to the hall in which the function was being held. They came from Fleet Street, from the Law Courts, from the solicitors' offices, and every square inch of room there was to spare had been taken possession of by the sensation-loving public. Practically every one of the boarders at Palace Crescent was present--Roger, Joseph and Mrs. Dewar in the small space reserved for witnesses. Mr. Luke and Bernascon had found two chairs in a retired corner. Mr. Lash-wood was squeezed in amongst the standing crowd. Reginald Barstowe, with Freda Medlincott and Ollivant, had found places on one of the hard benches against the walls.

It seemed at first, however, as though the sensation mongers were doomed to disappointment. After the formal part of the proceedings had been got rid of, the policeman and inspector had testified that no weapon had been found near the body, the doctor had gone into the box and testified that the wound could not possibly have been self-inflicted, Inspector Rudlett rose in his place and addressed the coroner.