essing-case, which we protected by seals, and took away
with us to the Fiscal's office, along with all the other articles that
we had discovered in the room.

"The next day we continued our examination in the house, having received
in the interval fresh instructions from the Fiscal. We began our work in
the bedroom communicating with the room in which Mrs. Macallan had
died. It had been kept locked since the death. Finding nothing of any
importance here, we went next to another room on the same floor, in
which we were informed the prisoner was then lying ill in bed.

"His illness was described to us as a nervous complaint, caused by the
death of his wife, and by the proceedings which had followed it. He was
reported to be quite incapable of exerting himself, and quite unfit
to see strangers. We insisted nevertheless (in deference to our
instructions) on obtaining admission to his room. He made no reply
when we inquired whether he had or had not removed anything from the
sleeping-room next to his late wife's, which he usually occupied, to the
sleeping-room in which he now lay. All he did was to close his eyes, as
if he were too feeble to speak to us or to notice us. Without further
disturbing him, we began to examine the room and the different objects
in it.

"While we were so employed, we were interrupted by a strange sound. We
likened it to the rumbling of wheels in the corridor outside.

"The door opened, and there came swiftly in a gentleman--a
cripple--wheeling himself along in a chair. He wheeled his chair
straight up to a little table which stood by the prisoner's bedside, and
said something to him in a whisper too low to be overheard. The prisoner
opened his eyes, and quickly answered by a sign. We informed the
crippled gentleman, quite respectfully, that we could not allow him to
be in the room at this time. He appeared to think nothing of what we
said. He only answered, 'My name is Dexter. I am one of Mr. Macallan's
old friends. It is you who are intruding here--not I.' We again notified
to him that he must leave the room; and we pointed out particularly that
he had got his chair in such a position against the bedside table as
to prevent us from examining it. He only laughed. 'Can't you see for
yourselves,' he said, 'that it is a table, and nothing more?' In reply
to this we warned him that we were acting under a legal warrant, and
that he might get into trouble if he obstructed us in the execution
of our d