urous spirits who endeavored to raise themselves over his
shoulder or insinuate themselves under his arms.

The room into which he looked was the sitting-room, and it was, so far
as he could judge in the first casual glance he threw into it, occupied
entirely by strangers. This was a relief. Since it had become his duty
to attend this inquiry, he wished to do so with a free mind, unhindered
by the watchfulness of those who knew his interest in the affair, or by
the presence of persons around whom his own imagination had
involuntarily woven a network of suspicion that made his observation of
them at once significant and painful.

The proceedings were at a standstill when he first came upon the scene.

A witness had just stepped aside, who, from the impatient shrugs of many
persons present, had evidently added little if any thing to the
testimony already given. Taking advantage of the moment, Mr. Byrd leaned
forward and addressed a burly man who sat directly under him.

"What have they been doing all the morning?" he asked. "Any thing
important?"

"No," was the surly reply. "A score of folks have had their say, but not
one of them has told any thing worth listening to. Nobody has seen any
thing, nobody knows any thing. The murderer might have risen up through
the floor to deal his blow, and having given it, sunk back again with
the same supernatural claptrap, for all these stupid people seem to know
about him."

The man had a loud voice, and as he made no attempt to modulate it, his
words were heard on all sides. Naturally many heads were turned toward
him, and more than one person looked at him with an amused smile.
Indeed, of all the various individuals in his immediate vicinity, only
one forbore to take any notice of his remark. This was a heavy,
lymphatic, and somewhat abstracted-looking fellow of nondescript
appearance, who stood stiff and straight as an exclamation point against
the jamb of the door-way that led into the front hall.

"But have no facts been obtained, no conclusions reached, that would
serve to awaken suspicion or put justice on the right track?" pursued
Mr. Byrd, lowering his voice in intimation for the other to do the same.

But that other was of an obstinate tendency, and his reply rose full and
loud.

"No, unless it can be considered proved that it is only folly to try and
find out who commits a crime in these days. Nothing else has come to
light, as far as I can see, and that much we a