Year: 1879

going below, was just in time to save
the life of the house-dog, which had
been almost choked by cord twisted
round his neck fastening him to his
kennel. The man-servant reused up
the neighbors, but all pursuit, then or
later, by friends privately or by the
police publicly, had been in vain. Not
the least clue had hitherto been obtain
ed as to the identity of the house
breakers.


This was how the matter stood when
l arrived at T. When had pri-
vately communicated with the magis-
trates, my second visit was naturally
paid to Frau Friedow. sought every
where for any special indications which
might put me on the right track, but
what found was desperately little
Like those who had gone before me, L
concluded that the robbery had, at any
rate, been accomplished by persons well
acquainted with the locality, as entrance
to the premises had been made by a
small door in the yard, of the very ex-
istence of which many of the neighbors
were unaware. The ladder made use of
had been dragged out of anook in which
it had long lain concealed. A pane of
glass had been smashed in the window
of the bedroom to enable one of the as
sailants to slip back the bolt. A few
footprints had been traced, but there
was nothing remarkable about their APP
pearance, and they had been lost at once
upon the high road or street upon which
the little court-y yard opened.


One thing seemed alone certain amid
the maze of perpleXity; the housebreak-
ers must be sought from among neigh
bors, servants, friends or relations
Now the neighbor theory, upon investi-
cation, seemed utterly futile, ard one
glance at old Frederick was enough to
make one dismiss all thoughts connect
ed with the second term in the list.


There remained the friends and rela-
tions in the habit of visiting at the villa.
The widow had not the faintest suspi-
cion of foul play in any of these never
theless, made her describe and closely
particularize them all to me. 1 took up
half dozen imaginary scents; / ran
hither and thither. l telegraphed in
various directions.


worked, in fact, in the sweat of my
brow but, alasl the result was simply
nothing, nothing, nothing. never be-
fore had been SO utterly puzzled and
hopelessly at fault.


On the fourth day of my residence at
T. 1 went again to the villa, where
the widow greeted me with eyes full of
expectation. Frau Friedow,n said,
sit seems to me hardly possible that you
are utterly without suspicion in every
quarter. There must surely be some
one or other on whom your mind has
fixed, if it were but for second. Con-
fess it is so, and confide in me.''


6 assure you have not even shad-
owy thought such as you describe" +" she
replied in much disappointed tone.


"And has nothing more struck you
about those men you saw in your room
than you have already mentioned ? One
remembers things on due consideration
which have been often overlooked be-
fore. Did you notice no popularity
about any of the scoundrels; in the
voice, for instance, the way of standing,
the hands of him who held the axe !?
Had he on ring? Did he look rough,
like the others 2"


:" There was one little thing L may
not have told BEFORE" she replied slow
ly.


1t was scarce worth telling. When
the two fellows ran off down the ladder
with my little case, the window slipped
down as they disappeared. The third
man pushed it up again to go after them,
but in so doing think he must have
put his hand through the broken pane,
and have hurt it with the glass, in his
haste. certainly heard him mutter to
himself, as if he were in distress.''


Was there no trace of blood left ?"
asked, anxiously.


None whatever"


began my investigations anew, and
this time with the doctor of the district.
We got into lively dissertation upon
hurts inflicted by glass. By degrees 1
acquired the, to me, very interesting
fact that some three weeks since, when
the medico was riding home to break
fast after an early call, a strange man
had suddenly appeared in the middle of
the highway and had implored his help.
He claimed to having fallen upon a
hean OF broken nlaas and held nrii hir