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a place like Edinburgh I go nosing about, you know. You don’t always find anything, but sometimes you do, and you might find something, and you never know, don’t you know? Well, I didn’t find anything I wanted for myself, but there’s a fellow I know in town who collects jugs —name of White.’
    The Coroner: ‘Is this relevant, Mr. Everton?’
    Bertram Everton: ‘Well, I shouldn’t have said it was, but you seemed to want to know, don’t you know.’
    The Coroner: ‘Perhaps you will tell us as shortly as possible why you came down from Edinburgh to see your uncle.’
    Bertram Everton: ‘Well, that’s just the point, you know — I didn’t really come down to see my uncle. I came down to see this fellow who collects jugs —did I tell you his name was White? — because, you see, I’d come across a set of jugs in the Toby style featuring all the generals in what’s usually called the World War, don’t you know —the only set ever made, and very interesting and all that if that’s the sort of thing you’re interested in, don’t you know? And the fellow that’s got them wants to sell them to the Castle Museum, so I thought my fellow had better get an offer in quickly, you know, and I came down to see him, don’t you know?’
    The Coroner: ‘And did you see him?’’
    Bertram Everton: ‘Well, I didn’t, don’t you know. He’d flown over to Paris, on the spur of the moment, as you might say, so I rang up Uncle James and suggested dining with him.’
    The Coroner: ‘You said just now you were better apart. What made you suggest dining with him on this occasion?’
    Bertram Everton: ‘Well, there I was, at a loose end as you might say. A free meal, a little family chit-chat, and all that sort of thing, don’t you know.’
    The Coroner: ‘Had you any special business that you wished to discuss with the deceased?’
    Bertram Everton: ‘Well, there was the matter of my brother’s allowance, don’t you know. He was by way of giving him an allowance, and there seemed to be a sort of idea that it would brighten the landscape if he could be induced to make it a bit larger, so I said I would see what could be done — if I got a chance and all that sort of thing.’
    The Coroner: ‘Well, you dined with your uncle. Did you discuss the question of your brother’s allowance with him?’
    Bertram Everton: ‘Well, it wasn’t what I should have called a discussion. I said, “In the matter of old Frank’s allowance, Uncle James — ” And he said — I suppose I’ve got to repeat all this?’
    The Coroner: ‘If it has any bearing on the question of why he altered his will.’
    Bertram Everton: ‘Well, I suppose you might say that it had, because he damned poor old Frank to me, don’t you know, and said he’d better hurry up and find himself a job, because if anything happened to him — that’s my uncle — poor old Frank would find he’d been left without a penny, because he — my uncle, you know — was damn well going to alter his will and cut out all the damned sucking-up hypocrites who thought they were going to make a good thing out of him and were going to find out their mistake before they were twenty-four hours older. Well, that did take me a bit aback, don’t you know, and I said, “Draw it mild, Uncle! Poor old Frank’s worst enemy couldn’t say he was a hypocrite.” And he gave me a most unpleasant sort of look and said, “I wasn’t talking about your brother Frank.” ’
    The Coroner: ‘In fact he told you he was going to alter his will?’
    Bertram Everton: ‘Well, it seemed to kind of point that way, don’t you know?’
    The Coroner: ‘Did he tell you he was going to alter it in your favour?
    The witness hesitated.
    The Coroner: ‘I must ask you to answer that question.’
    Bertram Everton: ‘Well, it’s really very awkward answering that sort of question, don’t you know.’
    The Coroner: ‘I am afraid I must ask you to answer it. Did he tell you he was making a