The Paradise Mystery

crook of his stout walking stick, glanced out of a pair of unusually shrewd and

ook you're speaking of was found," he rem

ng to join in the talk. He turned to Campany. "What

e, of no particular importance that I know of, but doubtless with a story of its own. Why should any one but a Barthorpe man, past or present, be interested in that stor

Bryce remembered what Mr. Dellingha

I saw the book-a curious old binding and queer old copper-plates. The man m

ou've got to go on probabilities. The probabilities in this case are tha

cincts-it was to inspect one of these that he had come to the Library. But suddenly remembering that there was

. "Some book in which they're put down? I was looking in the Memorial

nted to a case of big leather-bound

the register of all burials within the Cathedral itself up to date: the other's the r

e place which Campany had indicated, and taking down the second book c

said. "They're all brought up to the prese

ing out what at first had seemed a difficult matter to investigate. But lest his task should seem too easy, he continued to turn over the leaves of the big folio, and in order to have an excuse if the librarian should ask him any further questions, he memorized some of the names which he saw. And after a while he

ked on the various divisions of the chart. And there was no Richard Jenkins on that list-he went over it carefully twice, thrice. It was not there. Obviously, if the tomb of Richard Jenkins, who was buried in Paradise in 1715, was still there, amongst the cypr

om the chart, at a loss-a

you wanted

answer. "I just wanted to see where the Spel

Campany. "Several tombs. I could ha

the place," laughed Bryce. "I suppos

an. "I've been fed on it, man an

first witnesses, his active and scheming mind figured to itself, not without much cynical amusement, how a word or two from his lips would go far to solve matters. He thought of what he might tell-if he told all the truth. He thought of what he might get out of Ransford if he, Bryce, were Coroner, or solicitor, and had Ransford in that witness-box. He would ask him on his oath if he knew that dead man-if he had had dealings with him in times past-if he had met and spoken

her book as Mr. John Braden, and had next morning asked if he could get a conveyance for Saxonsteade in the afternoon, as he wished to see the Duke. Mr. Folliot testified to having seen him in the Cathedral, going towards one of the stairways leading to the gallery. Varner-most importa

ad happened, and asking them to make the most careful inquiries at once about any townsman of theirs of the name of John Braden, and to wire us the result of such i

ince the beginning of the proceedings, in which he was manifestly highly interested. It was possible that he might be able to tell something of moment-he might, after all, know som

tunate man and had looked carefully at the features. He was not a man of whom he had any knowledge whatever-he could not recollect ever having see

r," suggested the Coroner. "Some of them, perhaps, with men whom your Grace only saw for a bri

And-if I may say so-rightly. But I don't remember this man at all-in fact, I'd go a

on at all why he should wish to

uary, there are lots of old things at Saxonsteade which he might wish to see. Or he might be a lover of pictures-our collection is

t know him and knows nothing ab

agreed the Duke and

t by the entrance of a police official who conducted to the Coroner a middle-aged, well-dressed man whom Bryce at once set down as a London commercial magnate of some quality. Between the new arrival and the Coroner an interc

e, manager of the London & Colonies Bank, in Threadneedle Street. Mr. Chilstone saw particulars of this matter in the newspapers this morning, and he at once set off t

that Ransford, however strenuously he might be fighting to keep his face under control, was most certainly agitated by the Coroner's announcement. His cheeks had paled, his eyes were a little dilated, his lips par

ed in England from Australia, where, he said, he had been living for some years, had asked to be allowed to open an account. He produced some references from agents of the London & Colonies Bank, in Melbourne, which were highly satisfactory; the account being opened, he paid into it

ountry: when he returned from them, he said, he would call on me again. He gave me very little information about himself: it was not necessary, for his references from our agents in Australia were quite satisfactory. But he did mention that he had been out there for some years, and had speculated in landed property-he also said that he was now going to se

passage in the personal column

of old friend Marco, he will learn that Sticker wishes to see him again.

eek flush as he heard the advertisement read out? He believed he was not mistaken-but if he was right, Ransford t

een intended by the Coroner to predispose them in behalf of it. And now Archdale himself, as representing the architects who held a retaining fee in connection with the Cathedral, was called to give his opinion-and he gave it in almost the same words which Bryce had heard him use twenty-four hours previously. After him came the master-mason, expressing the same decided conviction-that the real truth was that the pavement of the gallery had at that particular place become so smooth, and was inclined towards the open doorway at such a sharp angle, that the unfortunate man

's a good job, anyway! Nasty thing, doctor, to think of a murder being committed in a c

om-what? Bryce turned, to leave the stuffy, rapidly-emptying court. And as he passed the centre table he saw old Simpson Harker, who, after sitting in attentive sile