of rain, and, as my window was open, I thought the curtain might have
blown across my face. That would account for it I reasoned, so--"

"Yes, it _may_ have been the curtain," said Thong, slowly. "But what
did you do?"

"Nothing. I lay still a little while, and then I went to sleep again.
I was only awake maybe two or three minutes."

"You didn't call Mrs. Darcy?"

"No."

"Nor the servant--what's her name? Sallie?"

"No. There wasn't any use in that. She's deaf."

"And you didn't call the janitor?"

"No. I wasn't very wide awake, and I didn't really attach any
importance to it until after I saw her--dead."

"Um! Yes," murmured Carroll. "Well, then you went to sleep again.
What did you do next?"

"I awakened with a sudden start just before six o'clock. I had not set
an alarm, though I wanted to get up early to do a little repair job I
had promised for early this morning. But I have gotten so in the habit
of rousing at almost any hour I mentally set for myself the night
before, that I don't need an alarm clock. I had fixed my mind on the
fact that I wanted to get up at five-thirty, and I think it was just a
quarter to six when I got up. I was anxious to finish the repair job
for a man who was to leave on an early train this morning. He may be
in any time now, and I haven't it ready for him."

"What sort of a repair job?" asked Carroll.

"On a watch."

"Where's the watch now?" and the detective flicked the ashes from a
cigar the reporter had given him. Daley was down in the jewelry store,
interviewing the clerks while Darcy was on the grill up above.

"The watch," murmured Darcy. "It--it's in her hand," and he nodded in
the direction of the silent figure downstairs.

"The watch that is still ticking?"

"Yes, but the funny part of it is that the watch wasn't going last
night, when I planned to start work on it. I forget just why I didn't
do it," and Darcy seemed a bit confused, a point not lost sight of by
Carroll. "I guess it must have been because I couldn't see well with
the electric light on my work table," went on the jewelry worker.
"I've got to get that fixed. Anyhow I didn't do anything to the
Indian's watch more than look at it, and I made up my mind to rise
early and hurry it through. So I didn't even wind it. I can't
understand what makes it go, unless some one got in and wound it--and
they wouldn't do that."

"Whose watch is it?" asked Thong.

"It belongs to Singa P