a foolish one and gave way under
the strain of investigation. I, however, persisted in it as long as
possible, partially because my disposition is an obstinate one, and
partially because I hated to acknowledge myself a fool; but when I saw
the hat, and recognized it as an indisputable proof of her presence in
the Van Burnam house that night, my confidence in the attempt I was
making broke down all at once. I could deny her shape, her hands, and
even the scar, which she might have had in common with other women, but
I could not deny her hat. Too many persons had seen her wear it."

But the Coroner was not to be so readily imposed upon.

"I see, I see," he repeated with great dryness, "and I hope the jury
will be satisfied. And they probably will, unless they remember the
anxiety which, according to your story, was displayed by your wife to
have her whole outfit in keeping with her appearance as a working girl.
If she was so particular as to think it necessary to dress herself in
store-made undergarments, why make all these precautions void by
carrying into the house a hat with the name of an expensive milliner
inside it?"

"Women are inconsistent, sir. She liked the hat and hated to part with
it. She thought she could hide it somewhere in the great house, at least
that was what she said to me when she tucked it under her cape."

The Coroner, who evidently did not believe one word of this, stared at
the witness as if curiosity was fast taking the place of indignation.
And I did not wonder. Howard Van Burnam, as thus presented to our notice
by his own testimony, was an anomaly, whether we were to believe what he
was saying at the present time or what he had said during the morning
session. But I wished I had had the questioning of him.

His next answer, however, opened up one dark place into which I had been
peering for some time without any enlightenment. It was in reply to the
following query:

"All this," said the Coroner, "is very interesting; but what explanation
have you to give for taking your wife into your father's empty house at
an hour so late, and then leaving her to spend the best part of the dark
night alone?"

"None," said he, "that will strike you as sensible and judicious. But we
were not sensible that night, neither were we judicious, or I would not
be standing here trying to explain what is not explainable by any of the
ordinary rules of conduct. She was set upon being the first to greet my
fath