he way in which Mr. Berwin lives
is enough to make one think him a coiner, or a thief, or even a
murderer--that it is!"

"But what grounds have you to believe him any one of the three?"

This question also puzzled the landlady, as she had no reasonable
grounds for her wild statements. Nevertheless, she made a determined
attempt to substantiate them by hearsay evidence. "Mr. Berwin," said she
in significant tones, "lives all alone in that haunted house."

"Why not? Every man has the right to be a misanthrope if he chooses."

"He has no right to behave so, in a respectable square," replied Miss
Greeb, shaking her head. "There's only two rooms of that large house
furnished, and all the rest is given up to dust and ghosts. Mr. Berwin
won't have a servant to live under his roof, and Mrs. Kebby, who does
his charing, says he drinks awful. Then he has his meals sent in from
the Nelson Hotel round the corner, and eats them all alone. He don't
receive no letters, he don't read no newspapers, and stays in all day,
only coming out at night, like an owl. If he ain't a criminal, Mr.
Denzil, why does he carry on so?"

"He may dislike his fellow-men, and desire to live a secluded life."

Miss Greeb still shook her head. "He may dislike his fellow-men," she
said with emphasis, "but that don't keep him from seeing them--ah! that
it don't."

"Is there anything wrong in that?" said Lucian, contemptuous of these
cobweb objections.

"Perhaps not, Mr. Denzil; but where do those he sees come from?"

"How do you mean, Miss Greeb?"

"They don't go in by the front door, that's certain," continued the
little woman darkly. "There's only one entrance to this square, sir,
and Blinders, the policeman, is frequently on duty there. Two or three
nights he's met Mr. Berwin coming in after dark and exchanged friendly
greetings with him, and each time Mr. Berwin has been alone!"

"Well! well! What of that?" said Denzil impatiently.

"This much, Mr. Denzil, that Blinders has gone round the square, after
seeing Mr. Berwin, and has seen shadows--two or three of them--on the
sitting-room blind. Now, sir," cried Miss Greeb, clinching her argument,
"if Mr. Berwin came into the square alone, how did his visitors get in?"

"Perhaps by the back," conjectured Lucian.

Again Miss Greeb shook her head. "I know the back of No. 13 as well as I
know my own face," she declared. "There's a yard and a fence, but no
entrance. To get in there you have to go in