The Chief Justice Part 26

"Have you read this, Sir?" he asked. "Baron Sendlingen----"

He laid the paper before his chief and this was what was in it:

"A telegram from Vienna brings us the sad news that Baron von Sendlingen, the retired Chief Justice and one of the most highly esteemed men in Austria, fell overboard while proceeding by the Lloyd steamer last night from Trieste to Venice. He was on deck late in the evening and has not been seen since; very likely, while leaning too far over the bulwarks, a sudden giddiness may have seized him so that he fell into the sea and disappeared. The idea of suicide cannot for personal reasons be entertained for a moment; the last person he spoke to, the captain of the steamer, testifies to the cheerful demeanour of the deceased. He leaves no family, but everyone who knew him will mourn him.

"All honour to his memory!"

"All honour to his memory!" muttered Berger, burying his face in his hands.

THE END.