hat my wrist was bleeding, she insisted upon
tying her handkerchief around it. This may be the handkerchief."

Again a little shiver ran through the crowd, and Goldberger's eyes
were gleaming.

"You notice that two corners of the handkerchief are free from stain,"
he said, "and are crumpled as though they had been tied in a knot. The
handkerchief Miss Vaughan used would probably be in that condition,
would it not?"

"Yes," Swain answered, his voice still low.

"You heard Dr. Hinman testify that he found the handkerchief beside
the chair in which Mr. Vaughan was murdered?"

"Yes."

"Can you explain its presence there?"

"I cannot, unless it dropped from my wrist when I stooped to raise
Miss Vaughan."

Goldberger looked at the witness for a moment, then he glanced at
Sylvester, who nodded almost imperceptibly.

"That is all for the present, Mr. Swain," the coroner said, and Swain
sat down again beside me, very pale, but holding himself well in hand.

Then Simmonds took the stand. His story developed nothing new, but he
told of the finding of the body and of its appearance and manner of
death in a way which brought back the scene to me very vividly. I
suspected that he made his story deliberately impressive in order to
efface the good impression made by the previous witness.

Finally, the coroner dipped once more into the suit-case, brought out
another bundle and unrolled it. It proved to be a white robe with red
stains about the top. He handed it to Simmonds.

"Can you identify this?" he asked.

"Yes," said Simmonds; "it is the garment worn by Mr. Vaughan at the
time of his murder."

"How do you identify it?"

"By my initials in indelible ink, on the right sleeve, where I placed
them."

"There are stains on the collar of the robe. What are they?"

"Blood-stains."

"Human blood?"

"Yes, sir."

"How do you know?"

"I have had them tested."

"Did any blood come from the corpse?"

"No, sir; the skin of the neck was not broken."

"Where, then, in your opinion, did this blood come from?"

"From the murderer," answered Simmonds, quietly.

There was a sudden gasp from the reporters, as they saw whither this
testimony was tending. I glanced at Swain. He was a little paler, but
was smiling confidently.

Goldberger, his face hawklike, stooped again to the suit-case,
produced a third bundle, and, unrolling it, disclosed another robe,
also of white silk. This, too, he handed to Simmonds.

"Can y