against the wall, said nothing. Perhaps they found
themselves sufficiently engaged in watching that half-seen elbow, which
since the reading of this last slip of paper had ceased all movement and
remained as stationary as though it had been paralyzed.

"A charge which, as yet, is nothing but a charge," observed the coroner.
"But evidence is not wanting," he went on, "that Mr. Hildreth is not at
home at this present time, but is somewhere in this region, as will be
seen by the following telegram from the superintendent of the Toledo
police." And he held up to view, not the telegram he had just received,
but another which he had taken from among the papers on the table before
him:

"Party mentioned not in Toledo. Left for the East
on midnight train of Wednesday the 27th inst. When
last heard from was in Albany. He has been living
fast, and is well known to be in pecuniary
difficulties, necessitating a large and immediate
amount of money. Further particulars by letter.

"That, gentlemen, I received last night. To-day," he continued, taking
up the telegram that had just come in, "the following arrives:

"Fresh advices. Man you are in search of talked of
suicide at his club the other night. Seemed in a
desperate way, and said that if something did not
soon happen he should be a lost man. Horse-flesh
and unfortunate speculations have ruined him. They
say it will take all he will ultimately receive to
pay his debts.

"And below:

"Suspected that he has been in your town."

A crisis was approaching round the corner. This, to the skilled eyes of
Mr. Byrd, was no longer doubtful. Even if he had not observed the
wondering glances cast in that direction by persons who could see the
owner of that now immovable elbow, he would have been assured that all
was not right, by the alert expression which had now taken the place of
the stolid and indifferent look which had hitherto characterized the
face of the man he believed to be a detective.

A panther about to spring could not have looked more threatening, and
the wonder was, that there were no more to observe this exciting
by-play. Yet the panther did not spring, and the inquiry went on.

"The witness I now propose to call," announced the coroner, after a
somewhat trying delay, "is the proprietor of the Eastern Hotel. Ah, here
he is. Mr