however, and had just made up his mind that his ears had deceived him,
when his attention was attracted by a shifting in the position of the
sturdy, thick-set man who had been leaning against the opposite wall,
but who now crossed and took his stand beside the jamb, on the other
side of which sat the unknown individual toward whom so many inquiring
glances had hitherto been directed.

The quietness with which this change was made, and the slight, almost
imperceptible, alteration in the manner of the person making it, brought
a sudden enlightenment to Mr. Byrd, and he at once made up his mind that
this dull, abstracted-looking nonentity leaning with such apparent
unconcern against the wall, was the new detective who had been sent up
that morning from New York. His curiosity in regard to the identity of
the individual round the corner was not lessened by this.

Meantime the coroner had answered the hasty exclamation of the witness,
by disclaiming the existence of any special meaning of his own, and had
furthermore pressed the question as to who this Mr. Hildreth was.

She immediately answered: "A gentleman of Toledo, sir; a young man who
could only come into his property by the death of Mrs. Clemmens."

"How? You have not spoken of any such person as connected with her."

"No," was her steady response; "nor was he so connected by any tie of
family or friendship. Indeed, I do not know as they were ever
acquainted, or, as for that matter, ever saw each other's faces. The
fact to which I allude was simply the result of a will, sir, made by Mr.
Hildreth's grandfather."

"A will? Explain yourself. I do not understand."

"Well, sir, I do not know much about the law, and may make a dozen
mistakes in telling you what you wish to know; but what I understand
about the matter is this: Mr. Hildreth, the grandfather of the gentleman
of whom I have just spoken, having a large property, which he wanted to
leave in bulk to his grandchildren,--their father being a very
dissipated and reckless man,--made his will in such a way as to prevent
its distribution among his heirs till after the death of two persons
whom he mentioned by name. Of these two persons one was the son of his
head clerk, a young boy, who sickened and died shortly after Mr.
Hildreth himself, and the other my cousin, the poor murdered woman, who
was then a little girl visiting the family. I do not know how she came
to be chosen by him for this purpose, unless it was