sery to many.

Muller need not do anything, he need simply do nothing. Not a soul
besides himself suspected the dwellers in the Thorne mansion of any
connection with the murder. If he were silent, nothing could be proven
against Knoll after all, except the robbery which he himself had
confessed. Then the memory of the terror in the tramp's little reddened
eyes came back to the detective's mind.

"A human soul after all, and a soul trembling in the shadow of a great
fear. And even he's a better man than the blackmailer who was killed. A
miscarriage of justice will often make a criminal of a poor fellow whose
worst fault is idleness." Muller's face darkened as the things of the
past, shut down in the depths of his own soul, rose up again. "No;
that's why I took up this work. Justice must be done--but it's bitter
hard sometimes. I could almost wish now that I hadn't seen that face at
the gate."

CHAPTER X. MULLER RETURNS TO THE THORNE MANSION

It was striking eight as Muller came out of a cafe in the heart of the
city. He had been in there but a few moments, for his purpose was merely
to look through the Army lists of the current year. The result of his
search proved the correctness of his conclusions.

There was a Lieutenant Theobald Leining in the single infantry regiment
stationed at Marburg.

Muller took a cab and drove to the main telegraph office. He asked for
the original of the telegram which had been sent that afternoon to the
address; "Herbert Thorne, Hotel Danieli, Venice." This closed the circle
of the chain.

The detective re-entered his waiting cab and drove back to Hietzing. He
told the driver to halt at the corner of the street on which fronted the
Thorne mansion and to wait for him there. He himself walked slowly down
the quiet Street and rang the bell at the iron gate.

"You come to this house again?" asked Franz, starting back in alarm when
he saw who it was that had called him to the door.

"Yes, my good friend; I want to get into this house again. But not on
false pretenses this time. And before you let me in you can go upstairs
and ask Mrs. Bernauer if she will receive me in her own room--in her own
room, mind. But make haste; I am in a hurry." The detective's tone was
calm and he strolled slowly up and down in front of the gate when he had
finished speaking.

The old butler hesitated a moment, then walked into the house. When he
returned, rather more quickly, he looked alarmed and