ealment in his coat, where the lining had been torn
away, but there was not the slightest evidence as to the nature of these
documents or the history of the murdered man. All that could be done was
to await the news from the other side, which was momentarily expected.

The girl went through it all, line by line, almost word by word.
Whatever there might have been of relationship or friendship between her
and the dead man, the news of his terrible end left her shaken, indeed,
but dry-eyed. She was apparently more terrified than grieved, and now
that the first shock had passed away, her mind seemed occupied with
thoughts which may indeed have had some connection with this tragedy,
but were scarcely wholly concerned with it. She sat for a long while
with her hands still resting upon the table but her eyes fixed out of
the window. Then at last she rose and made her way outside. Her friend
the reception clerk was engaged in conversation with one or two men, a
conversation of which she was obviously the subject. As she opened the
door, one of them broke off in the midst of what he was saying and would
have accosted her. The clerk, however, interposed, and drew her a step
or two back into the room.

"Madam," he said, "one of these gentlemen is from Scotland Yard, and
the others are reporters. They are all eager to know anything about Mr.
Hamilton Fynes. I expect they will want to ask you some questions."

The girl opened her lips and closed them again.

"I regret to say that I have nothing whatever to tell them," she
declared. "Will you kindly let them know that?"

The clerk shook his head.

"I am afraid you will find them quite persistent, madam," he said.

"I cannot tell them things which I do not know myself," she answered,
frowning.

"Naturally," the clerk admitted; "yet these gentlemen from Scotland Yard
have special privileges, of course, and there remains the fact that you
were engaged to lunch with Mr. Fynes here."

"If it will help me to get rid of them," she said, "I will speak to the
representative of Scotland Yard. I will have nothing whatever to say to
the reporters."

The clerk turned round and beckoned to the foremost figure in the little
group. Inspector Jacks, tall, lantern-jawed, dressed with the quiet
precision of a well-to-do-man of affairs, and with no possible
suggestion of his calling in his manner or attire, was by her side
almost at once.

"Madam," he said, "I understand that Mr. Hamilton