e coroner by Inspector Edwards at the
adjourned inquest held on January the twenty-second.

Few people were in court, for, until the present, the public had had no
inkling as to what had occurred on that fatal night in Harrington
Gardens. The first inquest had not been "covered" by any reporter, as the
police had exercised considerable ingenuity in keeping the affair a
secret.

But now, at the adjourned inquiry, secrecy was no longer possible, and
the three reporters present were full of inquisitiveness regarding the
evidence given on the previous occasion, and listened with attention
while it was being read over.

Inspector Edwards, however, had dealt with them in his usually genial
manner, and by the exercise of considerable diplomacy had succeeded in
allaying their suspicions that there was any really good newspaper
"story" in connection with it.

The medical witnesses were recalled, but neither had anything to add to
the depositions they had already made. The deceased had been fatally
stabbed by a very keen knife with a blade of peculiar shape. That was
all.

The unknown had been buried, and all that remained in evidence was a
bundle of blood-stained clothing, some articles of jewellery, a pair of
boots, hat, coat, gloves, and a green leather vanity-bag.

"Endeavours had been made, sir, to trace some of the articles worn by the
deceased, and also to establish the laundry marks on the underclothing,"
the inspector went on, "but, unfortunately, the marks have been
pronounced by experts to be foreign ones, and the whole of the young
lady's clothes appear to have been made abroad--in France or Belgium, it
is thought."

"The laundry marks are foreign, eh?" remarked the coroner, peering at the
witness through his pince-nez, and poising his pen in his hand. "Are you
endeavouring to make inquiry abroad concerning them?"

"Every inquiry is being made, sir, in a dozen cities on the continent. In
fact, in all the capitals."

"And the description of the deceased has been circulated?"

"Yes, sir. Photographs have been sent through all the channels in Europe.
But up to the present we have met with no success," Edwards replied.
"There is a suspicion because of a name upon a tab in the young girl's
coat that she may be Italian. Hence the most ardent search is being made
by the Italian authorities into the manner and descriptions of females
lately reported as missing."

"The affair seems remarkably curious," said the c