The Circular Staircase

r led the way at once to the locked wing, and with the aid of one of the detectives examined the rooms and the body. The other detective, after a short scr

a. In spite of a rumor among the servants about strange noises-I cited Thomas-nothing had occurred the first two nights. On the third night I believed that some one had

a body; that I did not know who the murdered man was until Mr. Jarvis from the club informed me, and that I knew of no reason why

asked, "that any member of your household, imagining M

for thinking so,

was followed here by some enemy,

hy Mr. Armstrong should enter his father's house two nights in succession, s

quest for the following Saturday, gave Mr. Jamieson, the younger of the two detectives, and the more intelligent looking, a few instructio

y when Mr. Jamieson, who had been sta

sts of yourself a

is here,

e but yourself

I had to mo

hould like to see

said as quietly as I could.

esterday eveni

-ye

a guest with h

with him to stay over

ank I believe." And I knew that some one at the

don't know at

rned suddenly a

Mr. Bailey were in the house last night, and yet you and your niec

ly desperate

ey knows nothing of this thing, and no amount of cir

, after passing through the heart, well down the back. In other words, I believe the murderer stood on the stairs and fired down. In the second place, I found on the edge of the billiard-table a charred cigar which had burned itself partly out, and a cigarette which had consumed itself to the cork ti

on it, Mr. Jamieson, Halsey will be

Innes, has it occurred to you that Mr.

as he spoke she came in. I saw her st

ailey and my brother know nothing of this. The murder was comm

amieson asked oddly. "Do you

r before three my brother and Mr. Bailey left

dly, "you are dreaming! W

few minutes he came up-stairs and knocked at my door. We-we talked for a minute, then I put on my dressing-gown and slippers, and went down-stairs wit

cit?" Mr. Jamieson asked

or the car, and instead of bringing it to the house and rousing people, he went by the lowe

Mr. Jamieson

e left-it was a quarter

ped, Miss Innes," said Jamieso

son's snap, as if he had made a discovery. As for myself, during

ive was a youngish man, and I thought he was somewhat em

she came over and put h

o marry him," s

could only gasp again, and as for Gertrude, th

Jamieson went on, "you

de hes

inguished the light, I remembered something I had left in the bi

e what it was yo

id slowly. "I-I did not leav

was imperative. "This is v

ey was working with the latch, and I thought, of course, of Halsey. When we took the house he called that his entrance, and he had carried a key for it ever since. The door opened and I was about to a

thought Mr. Jamieson must have f

testimony is invaluable, especially in view of the fact that your brother a

, without inventing bad feeling where it doesn't exist. Gert

son was sure

out Mr. Armstrong's conduct to you, Miss Gertru

never se

annoying and possibly pursuing her with hateful attentions, all that, added to Gertrude's confession of her presence in the billiard-room at the time of the crime, looked strange, t

s note-book with a s

ost is laid here. Whatever the rappings have been-and the colored man says the

was not laid: with the murder of Arnold Armstro

ing a matter, paled now beside the significance of her story. If Halsey and Jack Bailey had left before the crime, how came Halsey's revolver in the tulip bed?