e, but of another woman who's been here
recently. We only find them upon the door-handle and on the edge of the
writing-table, against which the woman must have leaned. We'll have them
photographed to-morrow."

The men then showed us the marks in question--distinct impressions of
small finger-tips, which they had rendered vivid and undeniable by the
application of a finely-powdered chalk of a pale green colour.

Apparently the two experts had devoted the whole day to the search for
finger-print clues, and they had established the fact that two women had
been there--the victim and another.

Who was she?

The investigation of the papers in my friend's writing-table had not yet
been made. Inspector Edwards had telephoned earlier in the day, stating
that he would himself go through them.

Therefore, exercising every care not to obliterate the three finger-marks
upon the edge of the table, the officers proceeded to break open drawer
after drawer and methodically examine the contents while I looked on.

The work was exciting. At any moment we might discover something which
would throw light upon the tragedy, the grim evidence of which remained
in that dark, still damp stain upon the carpet--the life-blood of the
unknown victim.

Already the face of the dead girl had been photographed, and would,
before morning, be circulated everywhere in an endeavour to secure
identification.

I had learnt from Edwards that before noon that morning, upon the
notice-board outside Bow Street Police Station, there had been posted one
of those pale, buff-coloured bills headed in great, bold capitals: "Body
found," in which the description had been filled in by a clerkish hand,
and at the bottom a statement that the corpse was lying at the Kensington
Mortuary awaiting identification.

That she was a lady seemed established by her dress, her well-kept hands,
innocent of manual labour, by the costly rings and bracelet she was
wearing, and the fact that, in the pocket of her coat was found her purse
containing eleven pounds in gold and some silver.

Sir Digby's papers promised to be extremely interesting, as we cleared
the books off a side-table and sat down to carefully investigate them.

The writing-table was a pedestal one, with a centre drawer and four
drawers on either side. The first drawer burst open was the top one on
the left, and from it Edwards drew two bundles of letters, each secured
by faded pink tape.

These bundles he