AK IT IN," CRIED MAJOR TEMPLE, "BREAK IT IN."]

"Break it in," cried Major Temple; "break it in at once." At his words,
one of the servants and myself threw our combined weight against the
door, and after several attempts, the fastening gave way, and we were
precipitated headlong into the room. It was dark, and it seemed to me
that the air was heavy and lifeless. We drew back into the hall as one
of the servants came running up with a candle, and Major Temple, taking
it, advanced into the room, closely followed by myself. At first our
eyes did not take in the scene revealed by the flickering candlelight,
but in a few moments the gruesome sight before us caused both Major
Temple and myself to recoil sharply toward the doorway. Upon the floor
lay Robert Ashton in his nightclothes, his head in a pool of blood, his
hands outstretched before him, his face ghastly with terror. The Major
at once ordered the servants to keep out of the room, then turned to his
daughter and in a low voice requested her to retire. She did so at
once, in a state of terrible excitement. He then closed the door behind
us, and, after lighting the gas, we proceeded to examine the body.
Ashton was dead, although death had apparently occurred but a short time
before as his body was still warm. In the top of his head was found a
deep circular wound, apparently made by some heavy, sharp-pointed
instrument, but there were no other marks of violence, no other wounds
of any sort upon the body. I examined the wound in the head carefully,
but could not imagine any weapon which would have left such a mark. And
then the wonder of the situation began to dawn upon me. The room
contained, besides the door by which we had entered, three windows, two
facing to the south and one to the west. All three were tightly closed
and securely fastened with heavy bolts on the inside. There was
absolutely no other means of entrance to the room whatever, except the
door which we had broken open and a rapid examination of this showed me
that it had been bolted upon the inside, and the catch into which the
bolt slid upon the door-jamb had been torn from its fastenings by the
effort we had used in forcing it open. I turned to Major Temple in
amazement, and found that he was engaged in systematically searching Mr.
Ashton's gladstone bag, which lay upon a chair near the bed. He examined
each article in detail, heedless of the grim and silent figure upon the
floor beside him, and, when