nly and turned on the electric light, so that her
step-father could see to read more clearly. "Yes," she said in a firm
voice, belied by the ghastly whiteness of her face, "who killed her?"

"It is not known," said Mr. Octagon. "Last night she entertained a few
friends--to be precise, three, and she was found by her new parlor-maid
dead in her chair, stabbed to the heart. The weapon has not been
found, nor has any trace of the murderer been discovered."

"Entertained friends," muttered Mrs. Octagon weeping, "the usual lot.
Mr. Hale, Mrs. Herne and Mr. Clancy--"

"Yes," said Peter, somewhat surprised, "how do you know?"

"My soul, whispered me," said Mrs. Octagon tragically, and becoming
melodramatic again, now that the first shock was over. "One of those
three killed her. Who struck the fatal blow?--the villain Hale I doubt
not."

"No," cried Juliet, "it was not Mr. Hale. He would not harm a fly."

"Probably not," said her mother tartly, "a fly has no property--your
Aunt Selina had. Oh, my dear," she added, darting away at a tangent,
"to think that last night you and Basil should have been witnesses of a
melodrama at the Marlow Theatre, at the very time this real tragedy was
taking place in the rural country."

"It's a most dreadful affair," murmured Peter, laying aside the paper.
"Had I not better go down to Rose Cottage and offer my services?"

"No," said Mrs. Octagon sharply, "don't mix yourself up in this
dreadful affair. Few people know that Selina was my sister, and I
don't want everyone to be condoling with me on this tragedy."

"But we must do something," said Juliet quickly.

"We will wait, my dear. But I don't want more publicity than is
necessary."

"But I have told some of our friends that Aunt Selina is a relative."

"Then you should not have done so," replied her mother, annoyed.
"However, people soon forget names, and the thing may not be noticed."

"My dear," said Octagon, seriously, "you should not be ashamed of your
sister. She may not have your renown nor rank, still--"

"I know my own knowing," interrupted the lady rather violently, and
crushing her meek husband with a look. "Selina and I are strangers,
and have been for years. What are the circumstances of the case? I
have not seen Selina for over fifteen years. I hear nothing about her.
She suddenly writes to me, asking if my dear children may call and see
her--that was a year ago. You insisted that they should go, Pet