Chapter 5

The story of my first inquiries and hampshire is soon told.

My early departure from London enabled me to reach Mr. Dawson's house in the forenoon.

Our interview, so far as the object of my visit was concerned, led to no satisfactory

result.

Mr. Dawson's books certainly showed when he had resumed his attendance on Miss Halcombe

at Blackwater Park, but it was not possible to calculate back from this state with any

exactness, without such help from Mrs. Michaelson as I knew she was unable to afford.

She could not say from memory, who in similar cases ever can, how many days had elapsed between

the renewal of the doctor's attendance on his patient and the previous departure of Lady

Glide?

She was almost certain of having mentioned the circumstance of the departure to Miss

Halcombe on the day after it happened, but then she was no more able to fix the date of

the day on which this disclosure took place, then to fix the date of the day before when Lady

Glide had left for London.

Neither could she calculate with any nearer approach to exactness the time that had passed

from the departure of her mistress to the period when the undated letter from Madame Fosco

arrived.

Lastly, as if to complete the series of difficulties, the doctor himself, having been ill at the

time, had omitted to make his usual entry of the day of the week and month when the

gardener from Blackwater Park had called on him to deliver Mrs. Michaelson's message.

Hopeless of obtaining assistance from Mr. Dawson, I resolved to try next if I could establish

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