The Talleyrand Maxim

Joseph Smith Fletcher wrote more than 230 books on a wide variety of subjects, both fiction and non-fiction and was one of the leading writers of detective fiction in the "Golden Age".

"It's old Mr. Bartle, sir," he whispered. "He's in your room there -- dead!" "Dead?" exclaimed Eldrick. "Dead!" Pratt shook his head again. "He came up not so long after you'd gone, sir," he said. "Everybody had gone but me -- I was just going. Wanted to see you about something I don't know what. He was very tottery when he came in -- complained of the stairs and the fog. I took him into your room, to sit down in the easy chair. And -- he died straight off. Just," concluded Pratt, "just as if he was going quietly to sleep!"