u tell at all what became of this letter?"

"My lord put it in his pocket when he was dressed."

"You are certain of this?"

"Most positive."

"Was any such letter found in the pockets of the deceased?" asked the
_attache_ of the Turkish police, through the dragoman of the Embassy.

Nothing of the kind had been found.

"The letter was no doubt removed purposely. This would destroy all
trace of its origin. It was evidently a snare, a bait to lure the
poor lord on shore," said one _attache_ to another.

"It is curious that he should have been so ready to swallow it."

"There must have been something peculiarly persuasive in the letter."

"But we have heard that he was much distressed, or annoyed, at
receiving it."

"Persuasive in a good or bad sense--probably the latter. At any rate,
it was sufficient to lure him on shore."

"Of course there is something beneath all this: some intrigue,
perhaps."

"The old story, 'who is she?' I suppose."

"But I thought he was devoted to his cousin, the fair Mrs. Wilders."

"Is she still in Constantinople?"

"Yes, I think so. Still at Misseri's, I believe."

"I wonder whether she has yet heard about this horrible affair. Some
one ought to break it to her."

But no one was needed for a task from which all shrank, with not
unnatural hesitation. While they still talked, a message was brought
in to the effect that Mrs. Wilders was in the antechamber, and her
first words, when one of the _attaches_ joined her, plainly showed
that she had heard of Lord Lydstone's death.

"What a horrible, frightful business!" she said, in a voice broken
with emotion. "Oh! this wicked, accursed town! How did it happen? Do
tell me all you know."

"We are completely in the dark. We know nothing more than that Lord
Lydstone was found stabbed at daylight this morning in the streets of
Stamboul."

"What could have taken him there?"

The _attache_ shrugged his shoulders.

"There is nothing to show, except that he was inveigled by some
mysterious communication--a letter sent on board the yacht."

"Inveigled for some base purpose--robbery, perhaps?"

"Very probably. When the body was found, it had been rifled of
everything--watch, money, rings: everything had gone."

Mrs. Wilders sighed deeply. It might have been a sigh of relief, but
to the _attache_ it seemed a new symptom of horror.

"But how imprudent--how frightfully imprudent--of the poor dear lord
to venture alone, and so late a