The Mystery of the Hidden Room

er of murder stalked hand-in-hand with innocence and love, outraged nature had asserted herself and I had found respite in oblivion. But now the weary round of t

rs spread out on the table before him. I noticed that he had taken the chair from the head of the table an

the servants, their eyes fastened upon the coroner, watching his every movement as if in terror lest they be accused of having murdered their master. Grouped around the table but slightly behind the coroner sat the jury, and I was glad to note that the corone

to be the coroner's physician. Beyond the doctors sat the assistant district attorney, surrounde

t the moment place, and looked around in vain for Ruth. Evidently Coroner Graves (I obtained this information from the ma

d his body. Asked if he had examined Mr. Darwin immediately upon his arrival, the doctor replied that he had first attended Mrs. Darwin and that it must have been ten or fifteen minutes later that he had entered the study. He had found Mr. Darwin lying back in his chair with a smile on his lips, one hand closed over a handkerchief, the other hanging limply over the arm of th

n and had extracted the bullet, which had narrowly missed entering the heart. From the nature of the wound it would have

eady been dead from twenty to thirty minutes. This last statement is correct. The post-mortem examination proves conclusively that Mr. Darwin died at midnight or shortly thereafter. From questions that I have already put to Mr. Orton I have learned

re of the wound is such that instantaneou

ng questioned," returned the coroner with some asperity

shed angrily at the rebuke, and he walked away from the table, but turned to listen

said the coroner's physician, with pompous superiority. "Now as a matter of fact where one man will live an hour another will survive only a few minutes, depending on the life each has led. Now Mr. Darwin, I have been t

fessional jealousy and his desire not to be outdone by the coroner's physician.

en lying upon the table. Whereupon the detective took a step forward and held up the object for our inspection. It was a long-barreled thirty-eight calib

here he broke the pistol, "it is fully loaded with the exception of one chamber, which has recently been discharged. The bullet extracted from Mr. Darwin's body corre

standing when he was shot, and that as he had been engaged in writing the moment

was standing when he was

d the carpet around it. Now Mr. Darwin had been writing, for we found a half-finished word on the paper before him, and must therefore have been seated in the chair. Hence the only person who could have produced those

atement, and the man beside me softly clapped his hands as he whispered to himself

professional brother, but I had no time to nurse idle speculations, for Jones had resumed his seat, and I expected the coroner to m

ars. I saw the coroner's face clear at this statement, for surely a man who had been the family retainer for so long a time could be relied on not to pervert any knowledge he might possess of th

r duty to secure the house a

s,

do you usua

times is, for days together, it would remain locked while he was gone. That is, it

you close the h

e-thirt

cked all the doors a

for to my surprise Mr. Orton was in there

s presence in the s

et the maid in to clean, sir, and it was my custom in my rounds at night to knock o

win been in the habit

years, sir,

hat re

ot know

lain how he came t

found him there I

t, what di

g. When that door is closed it is impossible to hear what goes on in the main part of the house, sir

to all the servants,

rs. Darwin's maid. They do not leave the

p the house t

olice,

"Nothing had been tampered with. The burglar alarms on the windows were

to the butler. "When did yo

x o'clock, sir. He

s not home

. Darwin dined alone, sir,

is Mr

. He has lived here ever

abruptly, "Have you ever noticed any signs of

ir, and even if I did it was not my place, begging yo

ough questioning him, for he was evidently a stickler in regard to uphold

ne of them knew anything of the tragedy and they were disposed

e had left the house at six and had not returned until eight this morning. Where had h

this statement, then called Ruth's maid, who supplied him

ent position, Annie?" he asked, glan

s evident that she was bursting to tell all she knew, so the coroner asked her to relate everythin

nding in murder, sir." She spoke the word in a thrilling whisper,

who should it be but Mr. Orton, saying that the master wished to see my mistress in the study. Quick as a win

rrupted the coroner. "Wa

sir," came th

took you ten minutes to fix it?

anything, but there was no sound and when I saw my mistress coming up the stairs

ns, my girl. Remember that we always lea

. "It wasn't any harm, sir," she murmured, "and I didn'

your story

s and bring him back as fast as possible. She said I needn't come back to her, so I did what she told me and then went to bed. I don't know how long I'd been asleep when Mr. Orton woke me and told me my mistress was ill. I

idea what was

. It was

him was correct. He had taken the note to my house and delivered it to my man. When I ha

r. Davies' address?" ask

ffeur before her marriage and had

with Mrs. Darwin before her ma

s,

tress should send for Mr. Davies at tha

one way or 'tother. I'm p

called for luncheon. I had hoped to see Ruth, but I was disappointed for she kept her room and so, not c

table instead of below it, where I could watch more closely the witnesses as they w

for order and inquired

g. "The valet's alibi is O. K., sir. The music hall attendant remembers

f the servants," remarked the coroner.

me that fell from his lips was that of Claude Orton,