his
interview with the woman, would of course snib the window, and pull down
the blind. When he went away next morning he would unlock the door."

"Begging your pardon, sir, but, as we know, he didn't go away next
morning, being in the packing case, nailed down."

The Coroner could have kicked himself for the very natural mistake
he had made, for he saw a derisive grin on the faces around him, and
particularly on that of Inspector Date.

"Then the assassin must have gone out by the door," he said weakly.

"Then I don't know how he got out," cried Eliza Flight, "for I was up at
six and the front and back doors of the hotel were locked. And after six
I was about in passages and rooms doing my work, and master and missus
and others were all over the place. How could the murderer walk out,
sir, without some of us seeing him?"

"Perhaps you did, and took no notice?"

"Oh, sir, if a stranger was around we should all have taken notice."

This concluded the evidence, which was meagre enough. Widow Anne was
indeed recalled to see if Miss Flight could identify her as the woman
who, had been talking to Bolton, but witness failed to recognize her,
and the widow herself proved, by means of three friends, that she had
been imbibing gin at home on the night and at the hour in question.
Also, there was no evidence to connect this unknown woman with the
murder, and no sound--according to the unanimous testimony of the
inmates of the Sailor's Rest--had been heard in the bedroom of Bolton.
Yet, as the Coroner observed, there must have been some knocking and
hammering and ripping going on. But of this nothing could be proved,
and although several witnesses were examined again, not one could throw
light on the mystery. Under these circumstances the jury could only
bring in a verdict of wilful murder against some person or persons
unknown, which was done. And it may be mentioned that the cord with
which Bolton had been strangled was identified by the landlord and the
chamber-maid as belonging to the blind of the bedroom window.

"Well," said Hope, when the inquest was over, "so nothing can be proved
against anyone. What is to be done next?"

"I'll tell you after I have seen Random," said the Professor curtly.

CHAPTER VII. THE CAPTAIN OF THE DIVER

The day after the inquest, Sidney Bolton's body was buried in Gartley
churchyard. Owing to the nature of the death, and the publicity given
to the murder by the press, a great