o commit the prisoner to trial. At that trial, too,
they had heard, the whole world had heard, of the mystery of the missing
watch, and the missing money. No money, at least, had been found on the
body; it was reasonable to refer to it as "missing." But here again, the
motive of self-preservation came in; the whole thing had been carefully
planned; the prisoner, counsel suggested, had, just as he had gone up to
town to find Mr. Mills the day after the murder was committed, striven to
put justice off the scent in making it appear that the motive for the
crime, had been robbery. With well-calculated cunning he had taken the
watch and what coins there were, from the pockets of his victim. That at
any rate was the theory suggested by the prosecution.

The speech was admirably delivered, and its virtue was its extreme
impassiveness; it seemed quite impersonal, the mere automatic action of
justice, not revengeful, not seeking for death, but merely stating the
case as it might be stated by some planet or remote fixed star. Then
there was a short pause, while the prosecutor for the Crown laid down his
notes. And the same slow, clear, impassive voice went on.

"But since the committal of the prisoner to stand his trial at these
assizes," he said, "more evidence of an utterly unexpected, but to us
convincing kind has been discovered. Here it is." And he held up a sheet
of blotting paper, and a crumpled envelope.

"A letter has been blotted on this sheet," he said, "and by holding it up
to the light and looking through it, one can, of course, read what was
written. But before I read it, I will tell you from where this sheet was
taken. It was taken from a blotting book in the drawing-room of Mrs.
Assheton's house in Sussex Square. An expert in handwriting will soon
tell the gentlemen of the jury in whose hand he without doubt considers
it to be written. After the committal of the prisoner to trial, search
was of course made in this house, for further evidence. This evidence was
almost immediately discovered. After that no further search was made."

The judge looked up from his notes.

"By whom was this discovery made?" he asked.

"By Superintendent Figgis and Sergeant Wilkinson, my lord. They will
give their evidence."

He waited till the judge had entered this.

"I will read the letter," he said, "from the negative, so to speak, of
the blotting paper."

"June 21st.

"TO GODFREY MILLS, ESQ.

"You damned brute, I will s