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 Complete Solutions Manual to Accompany

A First Course in Differential

Equations
with Modeling Applications
ELEVENTH EDITION, METRIC VERSION

And

Differential Equations
with Boundary-Value Problems
© Cengage Learning. All rights reserved. No distribution allowed without express authorization.

NINTH EDITION, METRIC VERSION

Dennis G. Zill
Loyola Marymount University,
Los Angeles, CA

Prepared by

Roberto Martinez
Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles, CA

Metric Version Prepared by

Aly El-Iraki
Professor Emeritus, Alexandria University, Egypt

Australia • Brazil • Mexico • Singapore • United Kingdom • United States

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Chapter 1

Introduction to Differential Equations

1.1 Definitions and Terminology

1. Second order; linear

2. Third order; nonlinear because of (dy/dx)4

3. Fourth order; linear

4. Second order; nonlinear because of cos(r + u)


5. Second order; nonlinear because of (dy/dx)2 or 1 + (dy/dx)2

6. Second order; nonlinear because of R2

7. Third order; linear

8. Second order; nonlinear because of ẋ2

9. Writing the differential equation in the form x(dy/dx) + y 2 = 1, we see that it is nonlinear
in y because of y 2 . However, writing it in the form (y 2 − 1)(dx/dy) + x = 0, we see that it is
linear in x.

10. Writing the differential equation in the form u(dv/du) + (1 + u)v = ueu we see that it is linear
in v. However, writing it in the form (v + uv − ueu )(du/dv) + u = 0, we see that it is nonlinear
in u.

11. From y = e−x/2 we obtain y  = − 12 e−x/2 . Then 2y  + y = −e−x/2 + e−x/2 = 0.

12. From y = 6
5 − 65 e−20t we obtain dy/dt = 24e−20t , so that
 
dy 6 6 −20t
+ 20y = 24e−20t + 20 − e = 24.
dt 5 5

13. From y = e3x cos 2x we obtain y  = 3e3x cos 2x−2e3x sin 2x and y  = 5e3x cos 2x−12e3x sin 2x,
so that y  − 6y  + 13y = 0.

1
2 CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION TO DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS

14. From y = − cos x ln(sec x + tan x) we obtain y  = −1 + sin x ln(sec x + tan x) and

y  = tan x + cos x ln(sec x + tan x). Then y  + y = tan x.

15. The domain of the function, found by solving x+2 ≥ 0, is [−2, ∞). From y  = 1+2(x+2)−1/2
we have

(y − x)y  = (y − x)[1 + (2(x + 2)−1/2 ]

= y − x + 2(y − x)(x + 2)−1/2

= y − x + 2[x + 4(x + 2)1/2 − x](x + 2)−1/2

= y − x + 8(x + 2)1/2 (x + 2)−1/2 = y − x + 8.

An interval of definition for the solution of the differential equation is (−2, ∞) because y  is
not defined at x = −2.

16. Since tan x is not defined for x = π/2 + nπ, n an integer, the domain of y = 5 tan 5x is

{x  5x = π/2 + nπ}

or {x  x = π/10 + nπ/5}. From y  = 25 sec2 5x we have

y  = 25(1 + tan2 5x) = 25 + 25 tan2 5x = 25 + y 2 .

An interval of definition for the solution of the differential equation is (−π/10, π/10). Another
interval is (π/10, 3π/10), and so on.

 
17. The domain of the function is {x  4 − x2 = 0} or {x  x = −2 and x = 2}. From
y  = 2x/(4 − x2 )2 we have
 2
 1
y = 2x = 2xy 2 .
4 − x2

An interval of definition for the solution of the differential equation is (−2, 2). Other intervals
are (−∞, −2) and (2, ∞).

√
18. The function is y = 1/ 1 − sin x , whose domain is obtained from 1 − sin x = 0 or sin x = 1.

Thus, the domain is {x  x = π/2 + 2nπ}. From y  = − 12 (1 − sin x)−3/2 (− cos x) we have

2y  = (1 − sin x)−3/2 cos x = [(1 − sin x)−1/2 ]3 cos x = y 3 cos x.

An interval of definition for the solution of the differential equation is (π/2, 5π/2). Another
one is (5π/2, 9π/2), and so on.
 1.1 Definitions and Terminology 3

x
19. Writing ln(2X − 1) − ln(X − 1) = t and differentiating
implicitly we obtain 4

2 dX 1 dX 2
− =1
2X − 1 dt X − 1 dt
  t
2 1 dX –4 –2 2 4
− =1
2X − 1 X − 1 dt
–2
2X − 2 − 2X + 1 dX
=1
(2X − 1) (X − 1) dt –4

dX
= −(2X − 1)(X − 1) = (X − 1)(1 − 2X).
dt

Exponentiating both sides of the implicit solution we obtain

2X − 1
= et
X −1
2X − 1 = Xet − et

(et − 1) = (et − 2)X

et − 1
X= .
et − 2

Solving et − 2 = 0 we get t = ln 2. Thus, the solution is defined on (−∞, ln 2) or on (ln 2, ∞).

The graph of the solution defined on (−∞, ln 2) is dashed, and the graph of the solution
defined on (ln 2, ∞) is solid.

y
20. Implicitly differentiating the solution, we obtain
4
dy dy
−2x − 4xy + 2y
2
=0
dx dx
2
−x dy − 2xy dx + y dy = 0
2

x
–4 –2 2 4
2xy dx + (x2 − y)dy = 0.
–2
Using the quadratic formula to solve −
y2 −1 = 0
2x2 y
 2 √  √
for y, we get y = 2x ± 4x + 4 /2 = x ± x4 + 1 .
4 2 –4
√
Thus, two explicit solutions are y1 = x2 + x4 + 1 and
√
y2 = x2 − x4 + 1 . Both solutions are defined on (−∞, ∞).
The graph of y1 (x) is solid and the graph of y2 is dashed.
4 CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION TO DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS

 
21. Differentiating P = c1 et / 1 + c1 et we obtain
   
dP 1 + c1 et c1 et − c1 et · c1 et c1 et 1 + c1 et − c1 et
= =
dt (1 + c1 et )2 1 + c1 et 1 + c1 et

c1 et c1 et
= 1− = P (1 − P ).
1 + c1 et 1 + c1 et

dy
22. Differentiating y = 2x2 − 1 + c1 e−2x we obtain = 4x − 4xc1 e−2x , so that
2 2

dx
dy
+ 4xy = 4x − 4xc1 e−2x + 8x3 − 4x + 4c1 xe−x = 8x3
2 2

dx
dy d2 y
23. From y = c1 e2x + c2 xe2x we obtain = (2c1 + c2 )e2x + 2c2 xe2x and = (4c1 + 4c2 )e2x +
dx dx2
4c2 xe2x , so that
d2 y dy
2
−4 + 4y = (4c1 + 4c2 − 8c1 − 4c2 + 4c1 )e2x + (4c2 − 8c2 + 4c2 )xe2x = 0.
dx dx
24. From y = c1 x−1 + c2 x + c3 x ln x + 4x2 we obtain
dy
= −c1 x−2 + c2 + c3 + c3 ln x + 8x,
dx
d2 y
= 2c1 x−3 + c3 x−1 + 8,
dx2
and
d3 y
= −6c1 x−4 − c3 x−2 ,
dx3
so that
d3 y 2
2 d y dy
x3 + 2x −x + y = (−6c1 + 4c1 + c1 + c1 )x−1 + (−c3 + 2c3 − c2 − c3 + c2 )x
dx3 dx2 dx
+ (−c3 + c3 )x ln x + (16 − 8 + 4)x2

= 12x2

In Problems
ˆ x 25–28, we use the Product Rule and the derivative of an integral ((12) of this section):
d
g(t) dt = g(x).
dx a
ˆ x −3t ˆ x −3t
e dy e e−3x 3x
25. Differentiating y = e 3x
dt we obtain = 3e 3x
dt + · e or
ˆ x −3t 1 t dx 1 t x
dy e 1
= 3e3x dt + , so that
dx 1 t x
 ˆ x −3t   ˆ x −3t 
dy e 1 e
x − 3xy = x 3e 3x
dt + − 3x e 3x
dt
dx 1 t x 1 t
ˆ x −3t ˆ x −3t
e e
= 3xe3x dt + 1 − 3xe3x dt = 1
1 t 1 t
 1.1 Definitions and Terminology 5

ˆ ˆ
√ x
cos t dy 1 x
cos t cos x √
26. Differentiating y = x √ dt we obtain = √ √ dt + √ · x or
ˆ x 4 t dx 2 x 4 t x
dy 1 cos t
= √ √ dt + cos x, so that
dx 2 x 4 t
 ˆ x  ˆ x
dy 1 cos t √ cos t
2x − y = 2x √ √ dt + cos x − x √ dt
dx 2 x 4 t 4 t
ˆ x ˆ x
√ cos t √ cos t
= x √ dt + 2x cos x − x √ dt = 2x cos x
4 t 4 t
ˆ x ˆ
5 10 sin t dy 5 10 x sin t sin x 10
27. Differentiating y = + dt we obtain =− 2 − 2 dt + · or
ˆ xx x 1 t dx x x 1 t x x
dy 5 10 sin t 10 sin x
=− 2 − 2 dt + , so that
dx x x 1 t x2
 ˆ   ˆ 
2 dy 5 10 x sin t 10 sin x 5 10 x sin t
x + xy = x − 2 − 2
2
dt + +x + dt
dx x x 1 t x2 x x 1 t
ˆ x ˆ x
sin t sin t
= −5 − 10 dt + 10 sin x + 5 + 10 dt = 10 sin x
1 t 1 t
ˆ x ˆ x
−x2 −x2 dy −x2 −x2
t2
et dt+ex ·e−x
2 2 2
28. Differentiating y = e +e e dt we obtain = −2xe −2xe
ˆ x0 dx 0
dy −x2 −x2 t2
or = −2xe − 2xe e dt + 1, so that
dx 0
 ˆ x   ˆ x 
dy −x2 −x2 t2 −x2 −x2 t2
+ 2xy = −2xe − 2xe e dt + 1 + 2x e +e e dt
dx 0 0
ˆ x ˆ x
−x2 −x2 t2 −x2 −x2 2
= −2xe − 2xe e dt + 1 + 2xe + 2xe et dt = 1
0 0

29. From
−x2 , x < 0
y=
x2 , x≥0
we obtain
−2x, x<0
y =
2x, x≥0
so that xy  − 2y = 0.

30. The function y(x) is not continuous at x = 0 since lim y(x) = 5 and lim y(x) = −5. Thus,
x→0− x→0+
y  (x) does not exist at x = 0.

31. Substitute the function y = emx into the equation y  + 2y = 0 to get

(emx ) + 2(emx ) = 0

memx + 2emx = 0

emx (m + 2) = 0
Now since emx > 0 for all values of x, we must have m = −2 and so y = e−2x is a solution.
6 CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION TO DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS

32. Substitute the function y = emx into the equation 5y  − 2y = 0 to get

5(emx ) − 2(emx ) = 0

5memx − 2emx = 0

emx (5m − 2) = 0

Now since emx > 0 for all values of x, we must have m = 2/5 and so y = e2x/5 is a solution.

33. Substitute the function y = emx into the equation y  − 5y  + 6y = 0 to get

(emx ) − 5(emx ) + 6(emx ) = 0

m2 emx − 5memx + 6emx = 0

emx (m2 − 5m + 6) = 0

emx (m − 2)(m − 3) = 0

Now since emx > 0 for all values of x, we must have m = 2 or m = 3 therefore y = e2x and
y = e3x are solutions.

34. Substitute the function y = emx into the equation 2y  + 7y  − 4y = 0 to get

2(emx ) + 7(emx ) − 4(emx ) = 0

2m2 emx + 7memx − 4emx = 0

emx (2m2 + 7m − 4) = 0

emx (m + 4)(2m − 1) = 0

Now since emx > 0 for all values of x , we must have m = −4 or m = 1/2 therefore y = e−4x
and y = ex/2 are solutions.

35. Substitute the function y = xm into the equation xy  + 2y  = 0 to get

x · (xm ) + 2(xm ) = 0

x · m(m − 1)xm−2 + 2mxm−1 = 0

(m2 − m)xm−1 + 2mxm−1 = 0

xm−1 [m2 + m] = 0

xm−1 [m(m + 1)] = 0

The last line implies that m = 0 or m = −1 therefore y = x0 = 1 and y = x−1 are solutions.
 1.1 Definitions and Terminology 7

36. Substitute the function y = xm into the equation x2 y  − 7xy  + 15y = 0 to get

x2 · (xm ) − 7x · (xm ) + 15(xm ) = 0

x2 · m(m − 1)xm−2 − 7x · mxm−1 + 15xm = 0

(m2 − m)xm − 7mxm + 15xm = 0

xm [m2 − 8m + 15] = 0

xm [(m − 3)(m − 5)] = 0

The last line implies that m = 3 or m = 5 therefore y = x3 and y = x5 are solutions.

In Problems 37–40, we substitute y = c into the differential equations and use y  = 0 and y  = 0

37. Solving 5c = 10 we see that y = 2 is a constant solution.

38. Solving c2 + 2c − 3 = (c + 3)(c − 1) = 0 we see that y = −3 and y = 1 are constant solutions.

39. Since 1/(c − 1) = 0 has no solutions, the differential equation has no constant solutions.

40. Solving 6c = 10 we see that y = 5/3 is a constant solution.

41. From x = e−2t + 3e6t and y = −e−2t + 5e6t we obtain

dx dy
= −2e−2t + 18e6t and = 2e−2t + 30e6t .
dt dt
Then
dx
x + 3y = (e−2t + 3e6t ) + 3(−e−2t + 5e6t ) = −2e−2t + 18e6t =
dt
and
dy
5x + 3y = 5(e−2t + 3e6t ) + 3(−e−2t + 5e6t ) = 2e−2t + 30e6t = .
dt

42. From x = cos 2t + sin 2t + 15 et and y = − cos 2t − sin 2t − 15 et we obtain

dx 1 dy 1
= −2 sin 2t + 2 cos 2t + et and = 2 sin 2t − 2 cos 2t − et
dt 5 dt 5
and
d2 x 1 d2 y 1
= −4 cos 2t − 4 sin 2t + et and = 4 cos 2t + 4 sin 2t − et .
dt2 5 dt2 5
Then
1 1 d2 x
4y + et = 4(− cos 2t − sin 2t − et ) + et = −4 cos 2t − 4 sin 2t + et = 2
5 5 dt
and
1 1 d2 y
4x − et = 4(cos 2t + sin 2t + et ) − et = 4 cos 2t + 4 sin 2t − et = 2 .
5 5 dt
8 CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION TO DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS

43. (y  )2 + 1 = 0 has no real solutions because (y  )2 + 1 is positive for all differentiable functions
y = φ(x).

44. The only solution of (y  )2 + y 2 = 0 is y = 0, since if y = 0, y 2 > 0 and (y  )2 + y 2 ≥ y 2 > 0.

45. The first derivative of f (x) = ex is ex . The first derivative of f (x) = ekx is kekx . The
differential equations are y  = y and y  = ky, respectively.

46. Any function of the form y = cex or y = ce−x is its own second derivative. The corresponding
differential equation is y  − y = 0. Functions of the form y = c sin x or y = c cos x have second
derivatives that are the negatives of themselves. The differential equation is y  + y = 0.
  √
47. We first note that 1 − y 2 = 1 − sin2 x = cos2 x = | cos x|. This prompts us to consider
values of x for which cos x < 0, such as x = π. In this case
 
dy  d 
 
 = (sin x) = cos xx=π = cos π = −1,
dx  dx 
x=π x=π

but
  √
1 − y 2 |x=π = 1 − sin2 π = 1 = 1.

Thus, y = sin x will only be a solution of y  = 1 − y 2 when cos x > 0. An interval of
definition is then (−π/2, π/2). Other intervals are (3π/2, 5π/2), (7π/2, 9π/2), and so on.

48. Since the first and second derivatives of sin t and cos t involve sin t and cos t, it is plausible that
a linear combination of these functions, A sin t + B cos t, could be a solution of the differential
equation. Using y  = A cos t − B sin t and y  = −A sin t − B cos t and substituting into the
differential equation we get

y  + 2y  + 4y = −A sin t − B cos t + 2A cos t − 2B sin t + 4A sin t + 4B cos t

= (3A − 2B) sin t + (2A + 3B) cos t = 5 sin t

Thus 3A − 2B = 5 and 2A + 3B = 0. Solving these simultaneous equations we find A = 15

13
and B = − 10
13 . A particular solution is y = 13 sin t − 13 cos t.
15 10

49. One solution is given by the upper portion of the graph with domain approximately (0, 2.6).
The other solution is given by the lower portion of the graph, also with domain approximately
(0, 2.6).

50. One solution, with domain approximately (−∞, 1.6) is the portion of the graph in the second
quadrant together with the lower part of the graph in the first quadrant. A second solution,
with domain approximately (0, 1.6) is the upper part of the graph in the first quadrant. The
third solution, with domain (0, ∞), is the part of the graph in the fourth quadrant.
 1.1 Definitions and Terminology 9

51. Differentiating (x3 + y 3 )/xy = 3c we obtain

xy(3x2 + 3y 2 y  ) − (x3 + y 3 )(xy  + y)

=0
x2 y 2
3x3 y + 3xy 3 y  − x4 y  − x3 y − xy 3 y  − y 4 = 0

(3xy 3 − x4 − xy 3 )y  = −3x3 y + x3 y + y 4

y 4 − 2x3 y y(y 3 − 2x3 )

y = = .
2xy 3 − x4 x(2y 3 − x3 )

52. A tangent line will be vertical where y  is undefined, or in this case, where x(2y 3 − x3 ) = 0.
This gives x = 0 or 2y 3 = x3 . Substituting y 3 = x3 /2 into x3 + y 3 = 3xy we get
 
1 1
x3 + x3 = 3x x
2 21/3
3 3 3
x = 1/3 x2
2 2
x3 = 22/3 x2

x2 (x − 22/3 ) = 0.

Thus, there are vertical tangent lines at x = 0 and x = 22/3 , or at (0, 0) and (22/3 , 21/3 ).
Since 22/3 ≈ 1.59, the estimates of the domains in Problem 50 were close.
√ √
53. The derivatives of the functions are φ1 (x) = −x/ 25 − x2 and φ2 (x) = x/ 25 − x2 , neither
of which is defined at x = ±5.

54. To determine if a solution curve passes through (0, 3) we let t = 0 and P = 3 in the equation
P = c1 et /(1 + c1 et ). This gives 3 = c1 /(1 + c1 ) or c1 = − 32 . Thus, the solution curve

(−3/2)et −3et
P = =
1 − (3/2)et 2 − 3et

passes through the point (0, 3). Similarly, letting t = 0 and P = 1 in the equation for the
one-parameter family of solutions gives 1 = c1 /(1 + c1 ) or c1 = 1 + c1 . Since this equation
has no solution, no solution curve passes through (0, 1).

55. For the first-order differential equation integrate f (x). For the second-order differential equa-
´ ´
tion integrate twice. In the latter case we get y = ( f (x)dx) dx + c1 x + c2 .

56. Solving for y  using the quadratic formula we obtain the two differential equations
1   1  
y = 2 + 2 1 + 3x6 and y  = 2 − 2 1 + 3x6 ,
x x

so the differential equation cannot be put in the form dy/dx = f (x, y).
10 CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION TO DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS

57. The differential equation yy  − xy = 0 has normal form dy/dx = x. These are not equivalent
because y = 0 is a solution of the first differential equation but not a solution of the second.

58. Differentiating we get y  = c1 + 2c2 x and y  = 2c2 . Then c2 = y  /2 and c1 = y  − xy  , so

 
  y  1
y = y  − xy  x + x2 = xy  − x2 y 
2 2

and the differential equation is x2 y  − 2xy  + 2y = 0.

59. (a) Since e−x is positive for all values of x, dy/dx > 0 for all x, and a solution, y(x), of the
2

differential equation must be increasing on any interval.

dy dy
= lim e−x = 0 and lim = lim e−x = 0. Since dy/dx approaches 0 as
2 2
(b) lim
x→−∞ dx x→−∞ x→∞ dx x→∞
x approaches −∞ and ∞, the solution curve has horizontal asymptotes to the left and
to the right.

(c) To test concavity we consider the second derivative

  
d2 y d dy d
e−x = −2xe−x .
2 2
2
= =
dx dx dx dx

Since the second derivative is positive for x < 0 and negative for x > 0, the solution
curve is concave up on (−∞, 0) and concave down on (0, ∞).

(d)

60. (a) The derivative of a constant solution y = c is 0, so solving 5 − c = 0 we see that c = 5

and so y = 5 is a constant solution.

(b) A solution is increasing where dy/dx = 5 − y > 0 or y < 5. A solution is decreasing

where dy/dx = 5 − y < 0 or y > 5.

61. (a) The derivative of a constant solution is 0, so solving y(a − by) = 0 we see that y = 0 and
y = a/b are constant solutions.

(b) A solution is increasing where dy/dx = y(a − by) = by(a/b − y) > 0 or 0 < y < a/b. A
solution is decreasing where dy/dx = by(a/b − y) < 0 or y < 0 or y > a/b.
 1.1 Definitions and Terminology 11

(c) Using implicit differentiation we compute

d2 y
= y(−by  ) + y  (a − by) = y  (a − 2by).
dx2

Thus d2 y/dx2 = 0 when y = a/2b. Since d2 y/dx2 > 0 for 0 < y < a/2b and d2 y/dx2 < 0
for a/2b < y < a/b, the graph of y = φ(x) has a point of inflection at y = a/2b.

(d)
y

y = a/b

y=0
x

62. (a) If y = c is a constant solution then y  = 0, but c2 + 4 is never 0 for any real value of c.

(b) Since y  = y 2 + 4 > 0 for all x where a solution y = φ(x) is defined, any solution must
be increasing on any interval on which it is defined. Thus it cannot have any relative
extrema.

(c) Using implicit differentiation we compute d2 y/dx2 = 2yy  = 2y(y 2 + 4). Setting
d2 y/dx2 = 0 we see that y = 0 corresponds to the only possible point of inflection.
Since d2 y/dx2 < 0 for y < 0 and d2 y/dx2 > 0 for y > 0, there is a point of inflection
where y = 0.

(d)
y

x
12 CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION TO DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS

63. In Mathematica use

Clear[y]
y[x ]:= x Exp[5x] Cos[2x]
y[x]
y''''[x] − 20y'''[x] + 158y''[x] − 580y'[x] + 841y[x]//Simplify

The output will show y(x) = e5x x cos 2x, which verifies that the correct function was entered,
and 0, which verifies that this function is a solution of the differential equation.

64. In Mathematica use

Clear[y]
y[x ]:= 20Cos[5Log[x]]/x − 3Sin[5Log[x]]/x
y[x]
xˆ3 y'''[x] + 2xˆ2 y''[x] + 20x y'[x] − 78y[x]//Simplify

The output will show y(x) = 20 cos(5 ln x)/x − 3 sin(5 ln x)/x, which verifies that the correct
function was entered, and 0, which verifies that this function is a solution of the differential
equation.

1.2 Initial-Value Problems

1. Solving −1/3 = 1/(1 + c1 ) we get c1 = −4. The solution is y = 1/(1 − 4e−x ).

2. Solving 2 = 1/(1 + c1 e) we get c1 = −(1/2)e−1 . The solution is y = 2/(2 − e−(x+1) ) .

3. Letting x = 2 and solving 1/3 = 1/(4 + c) we get c = −1. The solution is y = 1/(x2 − 1).
This solution is defined on the interval (1, ∞).

4. Letting x = −2 and solving 1/2 = 1/(4 + c) we get c = −2. The solution is y = 1/(x2 − 2).
√
This solution is defined on the interval (−∞, − 2 ).

5. Letting x = 0 and solving 1 = 1/c we get c = 1. The solution is y = 1/(x2 + 1). This solution
is defined on the interval (−∞, ∞).

6. Letting x = 1/2 and solving −4 = 1/(1/4 + c) we get c = −1/2. The solution is y =

√ √
1/(x2 − 1/2) = 2/(2x2 − 1). This solution is defined on the interval (−1/ 2 , 1/ 2 ).

In Problems 7–10, we use x = c1 cos t + c2 sin t and x = −c1 sin t + c2 cos t to obtain a system of
two equations in the two unknowns c1 and c2 .
 1.2 Initial-Value Problems 13

7. From the initial conditions we obtain the system

c1 = −1c2 = 8

The solution of the initial-value problem is x = − cos t + 8 sin t.

8. From the initial conditions we obtain the system

c 2 = 0 − c1 = 1

The solution of the initial-value problem is x = − cos t.

9. From the initial conditions we obtain

√ √
3 1 1 1 3
c1 + c2 = − c2 + =0
2 2 2 2 2
√
Solving, we find c1 = 3/4 and c2 = 1/4. The solution of the initial-value problem is
√
x = ( 3/4) cos t + (1/4) sin t.

10. From the initial conditions we obtain

√ √
2 2 √
c1 + c2 = 2
√2 √2
2 2 √
[6pt] − c1 + c2 = 2 2.
2 2
Solving, we find c1 = −1 and c2 = 3. The solution of the initial-value problem is x =
− cos t + 3 sin t.

In Problems 11–14, we use y = c1 ex + c2 e−x and y  = c1 ex − c2 e−x to obtain a system of two

equations in the two unknowns c1 and c2 .
11. From the initial conditions we obtain

c1 + c 2 = 1

c1 − c2 = 2.

Solving, we find c1 = 3
2 and c2 = − 12 . The solution of the initial-value problem is y =
1 −x
2e − 2e .
3 x

12. From the initial conditions we obtain

ec1 + e−1 c2 = 0

ec1 − e−1 c2 = e.

Solving, we find c1 = 1
2 and c2 = − 12 e2 . The solution of the initial-value problem is
1 1 1 1
y = ex − e2 e−x = ex − e2−x .
2 2 2 2
14 CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION TO DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS

13. From the initial conditions we obtain

e−1 c1 + ec2 = 5

e−1 c1 − ec2 = −5.

Solving, we find c1 = 0 and c2 = 5e−1 . The solution of the initial-value problem is y =

5e−1 e−x = 5e−1−x .

14. From the initial conditions we obtain

c1 + c2 = 0

c1 − c2 = 0.

Solving, we find c1 = c2 = 0. The solution of the initial-value problem is y = 0.

15. Two solutions are y = 0 and y = x3 .

16. Two solutions are y = 0 and y = x2 . (Also, any constant multiple of x2 is a solution.)

∂f 2
17. For f (x, y) = y 2/3 we have = y −1/3 . Thus, the differential equation will have a unique
∂y 3
solution in any rectangular region of the plane where y = 0.
√ 1

18. For f (x, y) = xy we have ∂f /∂y = 2 x/y . Thus, the differential equation will have a
unique solution in any region where x > 0 and y > 0 or where x < 0 and y < 0.

y ∂f 1
19. For f (x, y) = we have = . Thus, the differential equation will have a unique solution
x ∂y x
in any region where x = 0.

∂f
20. For f (x, y) = x + y we have = 1. Thus, the differential equation will have a unique
∂y
solution in the entire plane.

21. For f (x, y) = x2 /(4 − y 2 ) we have ∂f /∂y = 2x2 y/(4 − y 2 )2 . Thus the differential equation
will have a unique solution in any region where y < −2, −2 < y < 2, or y > 2.

x2 ∂f −3x2 y 2
22. For f (x, y) = we have = . Thus, the differential equation will have a
1+y 3 ∂y (1 + y 3 )2
unique solution in any region where y = −1.

y2 ∂f 2x2 y
23. For f (x, y) = we have = . Thus, the differential equation will have a
x2 +y 2 ∂y (x2 + y 2 )2
unique solution in any region not containing (0, 0).
 1.2 Initial-Value Problems 15

24. For f (x, y) = (y + x)/(y − x) we have ∂f /∂y = −2x/(y − x)2 . Thus the differential equation
will have a unique solution in any region where y < x or where y > x.
 
In Problems 25–28, we identify f (x, y) = y 2 − 9 and ∂f /∂y = y/ y 2 − 9. We see that f and
∂f /∂y are both continuous in the regions of the plane determined by y < −3 and y > 3 with no
restrictions on x.
25. Since 4 > 3, (1, 4) is in the region defined by y > 3 and the differential equation has a unique
solution through (1, 4).

26. Since (5, 3) is not in either of the regions defined by y < −3 or y > 3, there is no guarantee
of a unique solution through (5, 3).

27. Since (2, −3) is not in either of the regions defined by y < −3 or y > 3, there is no guarantee
of a unique solution through (2, −3).

28. Since (−1, 1) is not in either of the regions defined by y < −3 or y > 3, there is no guarantee
of a unique solution through (−1, 1).

29. (a) A one-parameter family of solutions is y = cx. Since y  = c, xy  = xc = y and y(0) =

c · 0 = 0.

(b) Writing the equation in the form y  = y/x, we see that R cannot contain any point on the
y-axis. Thus, any rectangular region disjoint from the y-axis and containing (x0 , y0 ) will
determine an interval around x0 and a unique solution through (x0 , y0 ). Since x0 = 0 in
part (a), we are not guaranteed a unique solution through (0, 0).

(c) The piecewise-defined function which satisfies y(0) = 0 is not a solution since it is not
differentiable at x = 0.
d
30. (a) Since tan (x + c) = sec2 (x + c) = 1+tan2 (x + c), we see that y = tan (x + c) satisfies
dx
the differential equation.

(b) Solving y(0) = tan c = 0 we obtain c = 0 and y = tan x. Since tan x is discontinuous at
x = ±π/2, the solution is not defined on (−2, 2) because it contains ±π/2.

(c) The largest interval on which the solution can exist is (−π/2, π/2).

d 1  1 1
31. (a) Since − = = y 2 , we see that y = − is a solution of the differ-
dx x+c (x + c)2 x+c
ential equation.

(b) Solving y(0) = −1/c = 1 we obtain c = −1 and y = 1/(1−x). Solving y(0) = −1/c = −1
we obtain c = 1 and y = −1/(1+x). Being sure to include x = 0, we see that the interval
of existence of y = 1/(1 − x) is (−∞, 1), while the interval of existence of y = −1/(1 + x)
is (−1, ∞).
16 CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION TO DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS

(c) By inspection we see that y = 0 is a solution on (−∞, ∞).

32. (a) Applying y(1) = 1 to y = −1/ (x + c) gives

1
1=− or 1 + c = −1
1+c
Thus c = −2 and
1 1
y=− = .
x−2 2−x
(b) Applying y(3) = −1 to y = −1/ (x + c) gives
1
−1 = − or 3 + c = 1.
3+c
Thus c = −2 and
1 1
y=− = .
x−2 2−x
(c) No, they are not the same solution. The interval I of definition for the solution in part
(a) is (−∞, 2); whereas the interval I of definition for the solution in part (b) is (2, ∞).
See the figure.

33. (a) Differentiating 3x2 − y 2 = c we get 6x − 2yy  = 0 or yy  = 3x.

(b) Solving 3x2 − y 2 = 3 for y we get

y

y = φ1 (x) = 3(x2 − 1) , 1 < x < ∞, 4

 2
y = φ2 (x) = − 3(x2 − 1) , 1 < x < ∞,
 x
y = φ3 (x) = 3(x2 − 1) , −∞ < x < −1, –4 –2 2 4

 –2
y = φ4 (x) = − 3(x2 − 1) , −∞ < x < −1.
–4

(c) Only y = φ3 (x) satisfies y(−2) = 3.

34. (a) Setting x = 2 and y = −4 in 3x2 − y 2 = c we get

y
12 − 16 = −4 = c, so the explicit solution is
4

y = − 3x2 + 4 , −∞ < x < ∞. 2

x
–4 –2 2 4
–2

–4
 1.2 Initial-Value Problems 17

√ √
(b) Setting c = 0 we have y = 3x and y = − 3x, both defined on (−∞, ∞).

In Problems 35–38, we consider the points on the graphs with x-coordinates x0 = −1, x0 = 0,
and x0 = 1. The slopes of the tangent lines at these points are compared with the slopes given by
y  (x0 ) in (a) through (f).

35. The graph satisfies the conditions in (b) and (f).

36. The graph satisfies the conditions in (e).

37. The graph satisfies the conditions in (c) and (d).

38. The graph satisfies the conditions in (a).

In Problems 39–44 y = c1 cos 2x + c2 sin 2x is a two parameter family of solutions of the second-
order differential equation y  + 4y = 0. In some of the problems we will use the fact that
y  = −2c1 sin 2x + 2c2 cos 2x.
π
39. From the boundary conditions y(0) = 0 and y = 3 we obtain
4
y(0) = c1 = 0
π π π
y = c1 cos + c2 sin = c2 = 3.
4 2 2
Thus, c1 = 0, c2 = 3, and the solution of the boundary-value problem is y = 3 sin 2x.

40. From the boundary conditions y(0) = 0 and y(π) = 0 we obtain

y(0) = c1 = 0

y(π) = c1 = 0.

Thus, c1 = 0, c2 is unrestricted, and the solution of the boundary-value problem is y =

c2 sin 2x, where c2 is any real number.
 
41. From the boundary conditions y  (0) = 0 and y  π6 = 0 we obtain

y  (0) = 2c2 = 0
π π √
y = −2c1 sin = − 3 c1 = 0.
6 3
Thus, c2 = 0, c1 = 0, and the solution of the boundary-value problem is y = 0.

42. From the boundary conditions y(0) = 1 and y  (π) = 5 we obtain

y(0) = c1 = 1

y  (π) = 2c2 = 5.

5 5
Thus, c1 = 1, c2 = , and the solution of the boundary-value problem is y = cos 2x + sin 2x.
2 2
18 CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION TO DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS

43. From the boundary conditions y(0) = 0 and y(π) = 2 we obtain

y(0) = c1 = 0

y(π) = c1 = 2.

Since 0 = 2, this is not possible and there is no solution.

π
44. From the boundary conditions y  2 = 1 and y  (π) = 0 we obtain

π
y = 2c2 = −1
2
y  (π) = 2c2 = 0.

Since 0 = −1, this is not possible and there is no solution.

45. Integrating y  = 8e2x + 6x we obtain

ˆ
y = (8e2x + 6x) dx = 4e2x + 3x2 + c.

Setting x = 0 and y = 9 we have 9 = 4 + c so c = 5 and y = 4e2x + 3x2 + 5.

46. Integrating y  = 12x − 2 we obtain

ˆ
y  = (12x − 2) dx = 6x2 − 2x + c1 .

Then, integrating y  we obtain

ˆ
y = (6x2 − 2x + c1 ) dx = 2x3 − x2 + c1 x + c2 .

At x = 1 the y-coordinate of the point of tangency is y = −1 + 5 = 4. This gives the initial

condition y(1) = 4. The slope of the tangent line at x = 1 is y  (1) = −1. From the initial
conditions we obtain

2 − 1 + c1 + c 2 = 4 or c1 + c 2 = 3

and
6 − 2 + c1 = −1 or c1 = −5.

Thus, c1 = −5 and c2 = 8, so y = 2x3 − x2 − 5x + 8.

47. When x = 0 and y = 12 , y  = −1, so the only plausible solution curve is the one with negative
slope at (0, 12 ), or the red curve.
Another random document with
no related content on Scribd:
The Project Gutenberg eBook of The case with
nine solutions
This ebook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States
and most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no
restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it
under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this
ebook or online at www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the
United States, you will have to check the laws of the country where
you are located before using this eBook.

Title: The case with nine solutions

Author: J. J. Connington

Release date: January 29, 2024 [eBook #72816]

Language: English

Original publication: London: Victor Gollancz Ltd, 1928

Credits: Brian Raiter

*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE CASE

WITH NINE SOLUTIONS ***
THE CASE WITH NINE
SOLUTIONS

by

J. J. CONNINGTON
 Contents
I. The Dying Man
II. The House Next Door
III. Sir Clinton at Ivy Lodge
IV. The Crime at Heatherfield
V. The Bungalow Tragedy
VI. The Nine Possible Solutions
VII. The Fly in the Amber
VIII. The Hassendean Journal
IX. The Creditor
X. Information Received
XI. The Code Advertisement
XII. The Silverdale Wills
XIII. The Murder of the Informer
XIV. The Jacket
XV. Sir Clinton's Double
XVI. Written Evidence
XVII. Mr. Justice
XVIII. The Connecting Thread
XIX. Excerpts from Sir Clinton's Notebook
 Chapter I.
The Dying Man
Dr. Ringwood pushed his chair back from the dinner-table. A
glance at the clock on the mantelpiece told him that on this evening
he had been even later than usual in getting home for dinner. The
expression in his eyes showed that he had gone short of sleep for
some time past; and when he rose to his feet, every movement
betrayed his over-tired condition.
“Bring my coffee to the study, please, Shenstone,” he ordered.
“And you might take the telephone in there as well.”
He crossed the hall wearily, switched on the study lights, and
stood for a moment on the threshold as if undecided what to do. A
bright fire burned on the hearth; the heavy pile of the carpet was soft
to his feet; and the big saddlebag armchairs spoke to him of pure
physical comfort and relaxation after the strain of the day. He moved
over to a table, hesitated again, and then picked up a copy of the
B.M.J. in its postal wrapper. Taking a cigar from a box on the table,
he clipped it mechanically and sat down in one of the chairs by the
fire.
Shenstone drew a small table to Dr. Ringwood's elbow and
placed the coffee on it; then, retiring for a moment, he returned with
the telephone, which he plugged to a connection in the room.
“Bring it over here, Shenstone. I want to be sure that the bell will
wake me if I happen to doze.”
Shenstone did as he was ordered and was about to leave the
room when Dr. Ringwood spoke again.
“Fog clearing off, by any chance?”
Shenstone shook his head.
“No, sir. Worse now than when you came in. Very thick indeed,
sir. One can't see even the nearest street lamp.”
 Dr. Ringwood nodded gloomily.
“It's to be hoped no one wants me to go out this evening. Difficult
enough to find one's way about a strange town in the daytime with a
fog like this over everything. But in the daytime there are always
people about who can give you some help. Nobody bar policemen
will be out to-night, I should think.”
Shenstone's face showed his sympathy.
“Very difficult for you, sir. If there's a night call, perhaps you'd
knock me up, sir, and I could go out with you and help you to find
your way. I'd be quite glad to do it, sir, if I could be of any service.
When Dr. Carew went into the nursing home he specially impressed
on me that I was to give you every assistance I could.”
A tired smile crossed Dr. Ringwood's face.
“Doubtful if you can see any further through pea-soup than I can
myself, Shenstone. Half the time, as I was coming back for dinner, I
couldn't see even the pavement; so I'm afraid your local knowledge
wouldn't give you much of a pull. Thanks all the same. I've got a map
of the town and I'll try to find my way by it.”
He paused, and then, as Shenstone turned to go, he added:
“Put a decanter—Scotch—and some soda on the table over
yonder. Then I shan't need to worry you again to-night.”
“Very good, sir.”
As Shenstone left the room, Dr. Ringwood tore open the wrapper
of the B.M.J., threw the paper into the fire, and unfolded the journal.
He scanned the contents while sipping his coffee; but in a few
minutes the bulky magazine slipped down on to his knees and he
resigned himself completely to the comfort of his surroundings.
“Thank the Lord I didn't need to become a G.P.” he reflected.
“Specialism's a tough enough row to hoe, but general practice is a
dog's life, if this is a sample of it.”
He picked up the B.M.J. again; but as he did so his sharp ear
caught the sound of the front door bell. An expression of annoyance
crossed his features and deepened as he heard Shenstone admit
some visitor. In a few seconds the door of the study opened and
Shenstone announced.
“Dr. Trevor Markfield, sir.”
 Dr. Ringwood's face cleared as a clean-shaven man of about
thirty entered the room; and he rose from his chair to greet the
newcomer.
“Come in, Trevor. Try that pew beside the fire. I've been meaning
to ring you up ever since I came last week, but I haven't had a
moment. This 'flu epidemic has kept me on the run.”
Trevor Markfield nodded sympathetically as he moved towards
the fire and extended his hands to the blaze.
“I'd have looked you up before, but it was only this morning I
heard from someone that you were doing locum for old Carew. It's a
bit out of your line, isn't it?”
“Carew's an old friend of ours; and when he went down with
appendicitis he asked me in a hurry to look after his practice and I
could hardly refuse. It's been an experience, of sorts. I haven't had
two hours continuous sleep in the last five days, and I feel as if the
next patient runs the risk of a free operation. I'm fit to bite him in the
gizzard without anæsthetics.”
Markfield's stern features relaxed slightly.
“As bad as all that?” he asked.
“Oh, I don't mind real cases. But last night I was called out at two
in the morning, when I'd just got back from a relapsed 'flu case. A
small boy. ‘Dreadfully ill, doctor. Please come at once.’ When I got
there, it was simply an acute case of over-stuffing. ‘It was his
birthday, doctor, and of course we had to let him do as he liked on
that day.’ By the time I'd got there, he'd dree'd his weird—quite
empty and nothing whatever the matter with him. No apologies for
dragging me out of bed, of course. A doctor isn't supposed to have a
bed at all. I expect the next thing will be a fatal case of ingrowing toe-
nails. It's a damned nuisance to have one's time frittered away on
that sort of thing when one's at one's wits end to do what one can for
people at the last gasp with something really dangerous.”
“Still got the notion that human life's valuable? The war knocked
that on the head,” Markfield commented, rubbing his hands together
to warm them. “Human life's the cheapest thing there is. It's a
blessing I went over to the scientific side, instead of going in for
physicking. I'd never have acquired a good sympathetic bedside
manner.”
 Dr. Ringwood made a gesture towards the decanter on the table.
“Have a spot?” he invited. “It's a miserable night.”
Markfield accepted the offer at once, poured out half a tumblerful
of whisky, splashed in a very little soda, and drank off his glass with
evident satisfaction. Putting down the tumbler, he moved across and
sat down by the fire.
“It's an infernal night,” he confirmed. “If I didn't know this end of
the town like the palm of my hand, I'd have lost my way coming here.
It's the thickest fog I've seen for long enough.”
“I'm in a worse box, for I don't know the town,” Dr. Ringwood
pointed out. “And we're not near the peak of this 'flu epidemic yet, by
a long way. You're lucky to be on the scientific side. Croft-Thornton
Research Institute, isn't it?”
“Yes, I came here three years ago, in 1925. Silverdale beat me
for the head post in the chemical department; they gave me the
second place.”
“Silverdale?” Dr. Ringwood mused. “The fellow who works on
alkaloids? Turned out a new condensate lately as side-line? I seem
to know the name.”
“That's him. He doesn't worry me much. I dine at his house now
and again; but beyond that we don't see much of each other outside
the Institute.”
“I've a notion I ran across him once at a smoker in the old days.
He played the banjo rather well. Clean-shaven, rather neatly turned
out? He'll be about thirty-five or so. By the way, he's married now,
isn't he?”
A faint expression of contempt crossed Markfield's face.
“Oh, yes, he's married. A French girl. I came across her in some
amateur theatricals after they arrived here. Rather amusing at first,
but a bit too exacting if one took her on as a permanency, I should
think. I used to dance with her a lot at first, but the pace got a bit too
hot for my taste. A man must have some evenings to himself, you
know; and what she wanted was a permanent dancing-partner.
She's taken on a cub at the Institute—young Hassendean—for the
business.”
“Doesn't Silverdale do anything in that line himself?”
 “Not a damn. Hates dancing except occasionally. They're a weird
couple. Nothing whatever in common, that I can see; and they've
apparently agreed that each takes a separate road. You never see
'em together. She's always around with this Hassendean brat—a
proper young squib; and Silverdale's turned to fresh woods in the
shape of Avice Deepcar, one of the girls at the Institute.”
“Serious?” Dr. Ringwood inquired indifferently.
“I expect he'd be glad of a divorce, if that's what you mean. But I
doubt if he'll get it, in spite of all the scandal about Yvonne. If I can
read the signs, she's just keeping the Hassendean cub on her string
for her own amusement, though she certainly advertises her
conquest all over the shop. He's not much to boast about: one of
these young pseudo-romantic live-your-own-lifer's with about as
much real backbone as a filleted sole.”
“A bit rough on Silverdale,” commented Dr. Ringwood
apathetically.
Trevor Markfield's short laugh betrayed his scorn.
“A man's an ass to get tied up to a woman. Silverdale got caught
by one side of her—oh, she's very attractive on that side,
undoubtedly. But it didn't last, apparently, for either of them—and
there you are! Outside their own line, women are no use to a man.
They want too much of one's time if one marries them, and they're
the very devil, generally. I've no sympathy with Silverdale's troubles.”
Dr. Ringwood, obviously bored, was seeking for a fresh subject.
“Comfortable place, the Institute?” he inquired.
Markfield nodded with obvious approval.
“First-rate. They're prepared to spend money like water on
equipment. I've just come in from the new Research Station they've
put up for agricultural experiments. It's a few miles out of town. I've
got a room or two in it for some work I'm doing in that line.”
Before Dr. Ringwood could reply, the telephone bell trilled and
with a stifled malediction he stepped over to the instrument.
“Dr. Ringwood speaking.”
As the message came through, his face darkened.
“Very well. I'll be round to see her shortly. The address is 26
Lauderdale Avenue, you say? . . . I'll come as soon as I can.”
He put down the telephone and turned to his guest.
 “I've got to go out, Trevor.”
Markfield looked up.
“You said 26 Lauderdale Avenue, didn't you?” he asked. “Talk of
the Devil! That's Silverdale's house. Nothing wrong with Yvonne, is
there? Sprained her ankle, or what not, by any chance?”
“No. One of the maids turned sick, it seems; and the other maid's
a bit worried because all the family are out to-night and she doesn't
know what to do with her invalid. I'll have to go. But how I'll find my
way in a fog like this, is beyond me. Where is the place?”
“About a couple of miles away.”
“That'll take a bit of finding,” Dr. Ringwood grumbled, as he
thought of the fog and his own sketchy knowledge of the local
geography.
Markfield seemed to reflect for a moment or two before
answering.
“Tell you what,” he said at last, “I've got my car at the door—I'm
just down from the Research Station. If you like, I'll pilot you to
Silverdale's. I'll manage it better than you possibly could, on a night
like this. You can drive behind me and keep your eye on my tail-light.
You could get home again all right, I expect; it's easier, since you've
only got to find your way to a main street and stick to it.”
Dr. Ringwood made no attempt to dissemble his relief at this
solution of his difficulties.
“That's decent of you, Trevor. Just let me have a look at the map
before we start. I'll take it with me, and I expect I'll manage to get
home again somehow or other.”
He glanced ruefully round the comfortable room and then went to
the window to examine the night.
“Thicker than ever,” he reported. “You'll need to crawl through
that fog.”
In a few minutes, Dr. Ringwood had put on his boots, warned
Shenstone to attend to the telephone in his absence, and got his car
out of the garage. Meanwhile Markfield had started his own engine
and was awaiting the doctor at the gate.
“Hoot like blazes the moment you lose sight of me,” he
recommended. “If I hear your horn I'll stop and hoot back. That
should keep us in touch if the worst comes to the worst.”
 He climbed into his driving-seat and started slowly down the
road. Dr. Ringwood fell in behind. The fog was denser than ever, and
the headlights of the cars merely illuminated its wreaths without
piercing them. As soon as his car had started, Dr. Ringwood felt that
he had lost touch with all the world except the tail-light ahead of him,
and a few square feet of roadway immediately under his eyes. The
kerb of the pavement had vanished; no house-window showed
through the mist. From time to time the pale beacon of a street-lamp
shone high in the air without shedding any illumination upon the
ground.
Once the guiding tail-lamp almost disappeared from view. After
that, he crept up closer to the leading car, shifted his foot from the
accelerator to the brake, and drove on the hand-throttle. His eyes
began to smart with the nip of the fog and his throat was rasped as
he drew his breath. Even in the saloon the air had a lung-catching
tang, and he could see shadows in it, thrown by the nimbus of the
headlights in the fog.
Almost from the start he had lost his bearings and now he pinned
his whole attention on Markfield's tail-lamp. Once or twice he caught
sight of tram-lines beside his wheels and knew that they were in a
main thoroughfare; but this gave him only the vaguest information of
their position. The sound-deadening quality of the vapour about him
completed the sense of isolation. Except for the faint beat of his own
engine, he seemed to be in a silent world.
Suddenly Markfield's horn surprised him, and he had to jam on
his brakes to avoid colliding with the car in front of him. A shadowy
figure, hardly to be recognised as human, moved past him to the
rear and vanished in the fog-wreaths. Then once more he had to
concentrate his attention on the dim lamp ahead.
At last Markfield's car slid softly alongside a pavement and came
slowly to rest. Dr. Ringwood pulled up and waited until his guide got
down from his seat and came back to him.
“We're just at the turn into Lauderdale Avenue.”
Dr. Ringwood made no attempt to conceal his admiration.
“That's a pretty good bit of navigation,” he said. “I didn't notice
you hesitate once in the whole trip.”
 “I've a fairly good head for locality,” Markfield returned carelessly.
“Now all you have to do is to turn to the left about ten yards further
on. The numbering starts from this end of the road, and the even
numbers are on the left-hand side. The houses are villas with big
gardens, so you've only got to keep count of the gates as you pass
them. Stick by the pavement and you'll see the motor-entrances
easily enough.”
“Thanks. I doubt if I'd have got here without you, Trevor. Now
what about the road home?”
“Come straight back along here. Cross three roads—counting
this as No. 1. Then turn to the right and keep straight on till you cross
tram-lines. That'll be Park Road. Keep along it to the left till you've
crossed two more sets of tram-lines and then turn to the right. That'll
be Aldingham Street, at the Blue Boar pub. You'll find your way from
there simply enough, I think. That's the easiest way home. I brought
you by a shorter route, but you'd never find it on a night like this. See
you again soon. 'Night!”
Without waiting for more, Markfield strode off to his car and soon
Dr. Ringwood saw the red star, his only point of contact with the real
world, slip away from him and vanish in the fog. When it had gone,
he let his clutch in and began to grope his way laboriously along the
pavement-edge and into Lauderdale Avenue.
The fog was as thick as ever, and he had some difficulty in
detecting even the breaks at the edge of the pavement which
indicated the positions of house-gates. The walls of the gardens
were concealed behind the climbing curtain of vapour. He counted
seven entrances and was well on the way to the next when suddenly
the roar of a horn made him lift his eyes to the spaces ahead; two
golden discs shone almost upon him and only a wild wrench at the
wheel saved him from a collision as the strange car swept past on
the wrong side.
“Damn their eyes!” he grumbled to himself. “People like that
should be hanged. No one has a right to go barging along at twenty
miles an hour on a night like this, hustling everyone out of their way.
And on the wrong side of the road, too.”
In his swerve he had lost touch with the pavement and he now
crept back to the left, steering in gently for fear of rubbing his tyres
on the kerb. Then he began counting the gates once more.
“Eight . . . Nine . . . Ten . . . Eleven . . . Twelve. It's the next one.”
He passed the next gate and drew up just beyond it. Then
reflecting that it was hardly safe to leave a car on the street in a night
like this, he got down from his seat and went across the pavement to
open the gate of the short drive leading up to the house. The
entrance was clear, however, and he was about to return to his car
when a thought struck him and he lit a match to examine the pillar of
the gate.
“No number, of course!” he commented in annoyance. “Ivy
Lodge. This must be the place, anyhow.”
Returning to his car, he backed it past the gate and then drove in
and up the carriage-way. Just in time, as he came near the front
door, the lights of a standing car warned him and he pulled up short
to avoid a collision. Shutting off his engine, he got out and
approached the house, passing a lighted window as he did so. The
standing car was empty, and he climbed the steps to the front door,
from which a light was shining. After some searching he discovered
the press-button and rang the bell. The fog seemed thicker than
ever; and as he stood on the steps and gazed out into it, he could
see no lights except those of the empty motor and his own
headlamps. The house seemed completely isolated from the world.
Growing impatient, as no one came to open the door, he rang
again; and then, after a shorter interval, he held his finger down on
the button until it seemed impossible that anyone in the house could
fail to hear the sound of the bell. But still no one appeared. The
lighted rooms and the waiting car convinced him that there must be
someone on the premises; and once more he set the bell in action.
As its notes died away again, he bent towards the door and
strained his ears to catch any sound of movement within the
building. At first he heard nothing; but all at once something attracted
his attention: a noise like a muffled cough. Dr. Ringwood hesitated
for only a moment or two.
“Something damned queer about this house, it seems to me,” he
commented inwardly. “Technically it's burglary, I suppose; but if the
door's unlocked, I think I'd better go in and look round.”
 The door opened as he turned the handle, and he stepped softly
into the hall. Everything seemed normal in the house. He could hear
the ticking of a grandfather's clock further back on the stairs; but the
noise which had first attracted his attention was not repeated. Gently
closing the door to shut out the fog, he stood for a moment listening
intently.
“Anybody here?” he demanded in a carrying voice.
There was no answer; but after a short time he heard again the
sound which had puzzled him, evidently coming from the lighted
room on the ground floor. Half a dozen swift steps took him to the
door which he flung open.
“Good God! What's wrong with you?” he ejaculated, as his glance
caught the only occupant of the smoke-room into which he had
come.
On a chesterfield, a fair-haired young man was lying helpless.
From the red stain on the lips, Dr. Ringwood guessed at a
hæmorrhage of the lungs; and the quantity of blood on the boy's
shirt-front and the dark pool on the carpet pointed to the severity of
the attack. The youth's eyes caught the newcomer, and he beckoned
feebly to the doctor. Ringwood crossed to the chesterfield and bent
down. It hardly needed an expert to see that assistance had come
too late. The sufferer made an effort, and the doctor stooped to catch
the words.
“. . . Caught me . . . pistol . . . shot . . . thought it was . . . all
right . . . never guessed . . .”
Dr. Ringwood bent closer.
“Who was it?” he demanded.
But that broken and gasped-out message had been the victim's
last effort. With the final word, a cough shook him; blood poured from
his mouth; and he fell back among the cushions in the terminal
convulsion.
Dr. Ringwood saw the jaw drop and realised that he could be of
no further service. Suddenly his weariness, accentuated by the strain
of the drive through the fog, descended upon him once more. He
straightened himself with something of an effort and gazed down at
the body, feeling himself curiously detached from this suddenly-
emergent mystery, as though it were no direct concern of his. Then,
in his own despite, his cool medical brain began to work as though
by some volition independent of his own. He drew out his notebook
and jotted down the few disjointed words which he had caught, lest
he should forget them later on.
Still held by the rigour of his training, he stooped once more and
made a close examination of the body, discovering in the course of it
two tiny tears in the dress shirt which evidently marked the entries of
the bullets which had pierced the lungs. Then, his inspection
completed, he left the body undisturbed, noted the time on his wrist-
watch, and made a further jotting in his pocket-book.
As he did so, a fresh idea crossed his mind. Had there been
more murders? What about the maids in the house? The one who
had rung him up must have been somewhere on the premises, dead
or alive. Possibly the murderer himself was still lurking in the villa.
Too tired to think of risk, Dr. Ringwood set himself to explore the
house; but to his amazement he discovered that it was empty.
Nowhere did he see the slightest sign of anything which suggested a
divergence from normal routine. The cloak-room showed that two
men lived on the premises, since he noted hats of two different sizes
on the pegs; and there appeared to be three bedrooms in use, apart
from the servants’ rooms on the upper floor.
The next step was obviously to ring up the police, he reflected.
The sooner this affair was off his shoulders, the better. But at this
point there flashed across his mind the picture of a methodical and
possibly slow detective who might even be suspicious of Ringwood
himself and wish to detain him till the whole affair was cleared up.
That would be a nuisance. Then a way out of the difficulty opened up
before him. He remembered paying a visit on the previous night to a
butler down with 'flu. When he had seen the patient, the man's
master had come and made inquiries about the case; and Ringwood
had been able to reassure him as to the man's condition.
“What was that chap's name?” Ringwood questioned his memory.
“Sir Clinton Something-or-other. He's Chief Constable or some such
big bug. When in doubt, go to headquarters. He'll remember me, I
expect; he didn't look as if much slipped past him. And that'll save
me from a lot of bother at the hands of underlings. What the devil
was his name? Sir Clinton . . . Driffield, that's it. I'll ring him up.”
 He glanced round the hall in which he was standing but saw no
telephone.
“It's probably in the smoke-room where the body is,” he
suggested to himself.
But though he searched all the likely places in the house he was
unable to find any instrument.
“They haven't a 'phone, evidently,” he was driven to admit. “But in
that case, I can't be in Silverdale's house at all. This must be the
wrong shop.”
Then he remembered the moment when the other car had swept
down upon him out of the fog.
“That probably explains it,” he said aloud. “When I had to swerve
out of his way, I must have missed one of the entrance gates before I
got back in touch with the pavement again. If that's so, then
obviously I'm in the wrong house. But whose house is it?”
He re-entered the smoke-room and looked round in search of
some clue. A writing-desk stood over against one of the walls, and
he crossed to it and took up a sheet of paper from a note-paper
case. The heading was what he wanted: “Ivy Lodge, 28 Lauderdale
Avenue, Westerhaven.”
“That's what happened,” he reflected, with a faint satisfaction at
having cleared the point up so simply. “I'm next door to Silverdale's
place, evidently, I can 'phone from there.”
It occurred to him that he had better be on the safe side and
make sure of his information by adding the name of the householder
when he rang up the Chief Constable. A fresh search among the
pigeon-holes of the desk produced a letter in its original envelope
addressed to “Edward Hassendean, Esq.” Dr. Ringwood put it down
again and racked his memory for an association with the name. He
had paid only the most perfunctory attention to Markfield's talk,
earlier in the evening, and it was some seconds before his mind
could track down the elusive data.
“Hassendean! That was the name of the cub who was hanging
round the skirts of Silverdale's wife, I believe.”
He glanced at the body on the chesterfield.
“It might be that youngster. The police will soon find out from the
contents of his pockets, I expect. Besides, the rest of the family will
be home soon. They must be out for the evening, and the maids too.
That accounts for the house being empty.”
He pulled out his pocket-book and scanned the note he had
made of the boy's disjointed utterance.
“Caught me . . . thought it was . . . all right . . . never guessed . . .”
A flash of illumination seemed to pass across Dr. Ringwood's
mind as he re-read the words. In it he saw a frivolous wife, a
dissolute boy, and a husband exasperated by the sudden discovery
of an intrigue; a sordid little tragedy of three characters. That
seemed to be a plain enough explanation of the miserable affair.
Markfield's suspicions had clearly been fairly near the truth; if
anything, they had fallen short of the real state of affairs. Something
had precipitated the explosion; and Dr. Ringwood idly speculated for
a moment or two upon what could have led to the husband's
enlightenment.
Then he awoke to a fresh aspect of the affair. The Hassendean
family would be coming home again shortly, or else the maids would
put in an appearance. The sooner the police were on the premises,
the better. In the meanwhile, it seemed advisable to prevent any
disturbance of things, if possible.
Dr. Ringwood left the smoke-room, locked the door after him, and
removed the key, which he slipped into his pocket. Then, making
sure that the front door could be opened from the outside when he
returned, he went down the steps and out into the fog once more.
 Chapter II.
The House Next Door
The box edging of the drive gave Dr. Ringwood sufficient
guidance through the darkness down to the gate; and by following
the garden wall thereafter, he had little difficulty in making his way to
the entrance of No. 26. By the light of a match he read the name
Heatherfield on the gate-pillar, but here also there was no
distinguishing number. This time, however, there could be no
mistake and he groped his way cautiously up the drive until the light
over the front door shone faintly through the fog.
As he went, a fresh complication in the situation presented itself
to his mind. What would be the effect if he blurted out the news of
the tragedy at Ivy Lodge? If the maid at Silverdale's happened to be
of a nervous type, she might take fright when she heard of the
murder and might refuse to be left alone in the house with only a sick
companion. That would be very awkward. Dr. Ringwood decided that
his best course would be to say nothing about the affair next door,
and merely make some simple excuse for going to the telephone. If
he could shut himself up while he telephoned, she would learn
nothing; if not, then he would need to invent some pretext for getting
her out of the way while he communicated with the police.
He climbed the steps and pressed the bell-button. This time he
was not kept waiting, for almost immediately the door opened and a
middle-aged woman, apparently a cook, peered nervously out at his
figure framed in the fog. Seeing a stranger before her, she kept the
door almost closed.
“Is that Dr. Ringwood?” she asked.
Then, as he nodded assent, she broke into a torrent of tremulous
explanation: