ce saw the enormous importance of the observation. It
was evident that the victim was a blood relation, and probably a very
close one. I began to talk to her about her family, and you remember
that she at once gave us some exceedingly valuable details.

[Illustration: "JIM BROWNER."]

"In the first place, her sister's name was Sarah, and her address had,
until recently, been the same, so that it was quite obvious how the
mistake had occurred, and whom the packet was meant for. Then we heard
of this steward, married to the third sister, and learned that he had at
one time been so intimate with Miss Sarah that she had actually gone up
to Liverpool to be near the Browners, but a quarrel had afterwards
divided them. This quarrel had put a stop to all communications for some
months, so that if Browner had occasion to address a packet to Miss
Sarah, he would undoubtedly have done so to her old address.

"And now the matter had begun to straighten itself out wonderfully. We
had learned of the existence of this steward, an impulsive man, of
strong passions--you remember that he threw up what must have been a
very superior berth, in order to be nearer to his wife--subject, too, to
occasional fits of hard drinking. We had reason to believe that his wife
had been murdered, and that a man--presumably a seafaring man--had been
murdered at the same time. Jealousy, of course, at once suggests itself
as the motive for the crime. And why should these proofs of the deed be
sent to Miss Sarah Cushing? Probably because during her residence in
Liverpool she had some hand in bringing about the events which led to
the tragedy. You will observe that this line of boats calls at Belfast,
Dublin, and Waterford; so that, presuming that Browner had committed the
deed, and had embarked at once upon his steamer, the _May Day_, Belfast
would be the first place at which he could post his terrible packet.

"A second solution was at this stage obviously possible, and although I
thought it exceedingly unlikely, I was determined to elucidate it before
going further. An unsuccessful lover might have killed Mr. and Mrs.
Browner, and the male ear might have belonged to the husband. There were
many grave objections to this theory, but it was conceivable. I
therefore sent off a telegram to my friend Algar, of the Liverpool
force, and asked him to find out if Mrs. Browner were at home, and if
Browner had departed in the _May Day_. Then we went on to Wallington