whose word can be relied on. His story will
be accepted as direct evidence, and it will, I fear, be hard to shake
his testimony."

"Have you learned anything that throws light on Captain Lloyd's death?"
inquired Miss Metoaca, after a slight pause.

Warren moved his chair nearer the sofa, and glanced about to see that
he was not overheard.

"The mystery deepens," he said gravely. "By order of the President, I
was allowed to hear the result of the autopsy held this morning."

"What was it?" demanded Miss Metoaca breathlessly.

"After a prolonged and careful examination, the surgeons declare that
they could find no wound or mark of violence on Captain Lloyd's body;
nor any trace of poison in his system. Therefore, they were forced to
believe, in the absence of any particular symptom, or pathological
appearance, that he died from some cause, or causes, to them unknown."
Warren paused in the rapid reading of his notes in his memorandum book;
then resumed dryly: "In my state, the country people would describe
Lloyd's death as 'a visitation of God.'"

"Well, Providence might have been worse employed," said Miss Metoaca
abruptly, and her face cleared. "Doesn't the autopsy settle that
preposterous charge against Nancy?"

"I have not finished telling you all that I heard from the surgeons,"
went on Warren patiently. "They also said that it was just possible
that the last five days in the saddle without sufficient food or sleep
might have produced heart failure, but they judged that extremely
unlikely----"

"I don't call that bad news," broke in Miss Metoaca. "Seems to me that
statement clears Nancy absolutely."

"Unfortunately, Doctor Ward contends that the symptoms would be the
same if Lloyd had been suffocated by some anaesthetic, chloroform, for
instance."

"Suffocated!" ejaculated Miss Metoaca, half rising in her surprise.
"What nonsense! They would have detected the smell of chloroform."

"Not necessarily," again returned Warren. "Lloyd had been dead some
hours before they found him; secondly, one of the windows was open top
and bottom, which ventilated the room. The chloroform probably
evaporated quickly, and left no tell-tale odor behind."

"And do you mean to tell me that those idiots believe on such flimsy
evidence as that that Nancy killed Lloyd!" exclaimed Miss Metoaca
wrathfully. "Do you believe a young, delicate, high-strung girl, like
Nancy, could commit such a cold-blooded murder?"

"Nancy's sex w