ever. My
heart gave a great leap of joy when I heard the Chinaman's simple,
sincere confession, and knew that, because of his disguise, his tan coat
and cap, Muriel had been mistaken in supposing the figure on the roof to
have been her father. For I knew that this terrible thing about her
father, which she so firmly believed, and which she had for days kept
locked in the recesses of her heart, must have almost broken it during
those many hours of uncertainty and fear. Yet for my sake, she had told
the terrible truth, as she believed it, and to save me she had gone all
the way to London, to ask my advice as to the proper course for her to
pursue. I realized what it must have meant to her to launch that fearful
accusation against her own father and I began to hope that she might
have for me a feeling not dissimilar to that which I so strongly felt
for her.

There was some confusion in the court-room when Li Min finished his
story, several of the spectators began to laugh at what they considered
a remarkably ingenious, yet ridiculous, defense on the Chinaman's part.
As they glanced at the Magistrate, however, they saw nothing approaching
amusement upon his grim face. On the contrary it was very evident, when
Li Min had been taken back to his cell, that he not only believed the
Chinaman's story, but had been very deeply impressed by it.

Major Temple was put upon the stand again, but his examination resulted
only in a repetition of his former statements and a forcible denial
that he had left his room from the moment he retired the evening
preceding Mr. Ashton's death until he heard my cries for help the next
morning. There was no evidence now to connect either Miss Temple, her
father or myself with the death of the collector. Li Min had borne out
my story regarding the taking of the cake of soap in every particular. I
was discharged, along with Major Temple and Miss Temple, and only Li Min
remained in custody. He was, of course, held upon the technical charge
of assaulting McQuade and threatening him with a deadly weapon.
Inspector Burns and Sergeant McQuade both signified their intention of
going to London at once. The latter, however, arranged to come down to
The Oaks the following day to make a final examination into the mystery.
He did not believe for a moment that part of Li Min's story which
referred to the sudden death of Mr. Ashton, and was already working on
some theory, which he did not elaborate to me, whereby L