Chapter II. Strange Instructions - Page 2

can say.'

'Well, ma'am, we must be content to do what we can,' said the officer genially. 'I'll begin by making a minute examination. You say that you were outside the door when you heard the noise?'

'I was in my room when I heard the queer sound-- indeed it must have been the early part of whatever it was which woke me. I came out of my room at once. Father's door was shut, and I could see the whole landing and the upper slopes of the staircase. No one could have left by the door unknown to me, if that is what you mean!'

'That is just what I do mean, miss. If everyone who knows anything will tell me as well as that, we shall soon get to the bottom of this. Then I may take it that whoever made the attack is still in the room?' He said this half interrogatively, but no one answered. He knew as much as we did on that point.

He then went over to the bed; looked at it carefully, and asked:

'Has the bed been touched?'

'Not to my knowledge,' said Miss Trelawny, 'but I shall ask Mrs. Grant--the housekeeper' she added as she rang the bell. Mrs. Grant answered it in person. 'Come in,' said Miss Trelawny. 'These gentlemen want to know, Mrs. Grant, if the bed has been touched.'

'Not by me, ma'am.'

'Then,' said Miss Trelawny, turning to Sergeant Daw, 'it cannot have been touched by anyone. Either Mrs. Grant or I myself was here all the time, and I do not think any of the servants who came when I gave the alarm were near the bed at all. You see, Father lay here just under the great safe, and everyone crowded round him. We sent them all away in a very short time.' Daw, with a motion of his hand, asked us all to stay at the other side of the room whilst with a magnifying-glass he examined the bed, taking care as he moved each fold of the bedclothes to replace it in exact position. Then he examined with his magnifying-glass the floor beside it, taking especial pains where the blood had trickled over the side of the bed, which was of heavy red wood handsomely carved. Inch by inch, down on his knees, carefully avoiding any touch with the stains on the floor, he followed the blood-marks over to the spot, close under the great safe, where the body had lain. All around and about this spot he went for a radius of some yards; but seemingly did not meet with anything to arrest special attention. Then he examined the front of the safe; round the lock, and along the bottom and top of the double- doors, more especially at the places of their touching in front.

Next he went to the windows, which were fastened down with the hasps.

'Were the shutters closed?' he asked Miss Trelawny in a casual way as though he expected the negative answer, which came.

All this time Doctor Winchester was attending to his patient; now dressing the wounds in the wrist or making minute examination all over the head and throat, and over the heart. More than once he put his nose