The Mystery of the Hidden Room

ay when that fatal shot was fired! A coward's attitude? Perhaps, but for the life of me at th

the jury what happened la

in the course of conversation I had urged her to get me a paper which was of value to me. She entered the study and almost immediately the shot

ctively. I was hoping he would dismiss me without furt

that she should send for you so late at

rcumstances,

at circum

have heard, Mr. Darwin threatened to ruin me. Mrs. Darwin se

up a trifle, but I decided that it was far better to strengthen the case against

en to warn you, just as w

notice of such a warning unless i

orning have been ampl

sume to say,

. Was it merely in the capacity of her friend?" He spoke

in airing the family skeleton, more particularly as it might get Dick into tro

ed quietly, "Yes, your hono

rom beneath half-closed lids as he f

study to reclaim a paper which was of v

answered,

n a peculiar tone, holding up the l

o idea,"

n by that?" he c

sband could use against me. I urged her to retrieve it. Never having seen it I canno

e asked: "You heard Mr. Orton say it was a

torn scraps of Mrs. Darwin's private correspondence from her basket and pieced it together for her husband's

ry favored Orton, and even the coroner was impressed to the point of

tudy you were both aware, of course,

he was going out and we had no i

ght she not have shot him to secure th

sible. She was in the study only a minute before the shot was fired. This I am positive of, Mr. Orton's evidence to the contrary. She had left the door sligh

was in darkness?" he int

I can safely

before he was shot. Do you think he was in the habi

but I refused to be ridiculed into changing my opinion. I

ating way in which Mrs. Darwin entered and from the fact that no glow came thro

sufficient light to be seen from that d

eless, I am convinced the study was i

opped the point, and asked: "Did you als

say on this point, so I replied in the affirmative, adding: "As I stood in the doorway I could see th

said the study

p was lighted as I s

e may have been some

es

f the study from your pos

was he getti

anyone came out of the study, o

es

e come out

N

vidence concerni

es

n saying there was some

radictory statement to pay up for my stubbornness concernin

knowledge of Mr. Orton's presence until he lighted the study. Whether he was already in the

ore pallid than ever. "I was out in the

impressed with the man and who had since come to regard him in the light of a sycophant, began to be suspicious of the secretary, eyeing him with great disfavor, won

did you give the police the impression last ni

dn't want her dist

feared to tell the

tations would only have

, that if a man dies intestate,

t was decide

he continued quietly, watchin

uldn't suppose that I was intimately acquainted with Philip Darwin's personal affairs! Either th

, and here," holding up a heavy paper, "is what Mr. Darwin was at work upon when he was shot. I

ving at. This was another powerful factor to be ad

nning. Did you ever hear of her,

say tha

identify this

r seen it before

be Mrs.

n't k

present. Mr. Cun