Accompanying them, I, an unwilling witness of this midnight tragedy, found the whole of the rooms furnished in elegant taste, no expense having been spared to make them the acme of comfort and luxury. Every nook and corner was searched, without success, so we returned again to the drawing-room. To our surprise we found the body had moved slightly from the position in which we had placed it. The woman's bloodless face seemed gradually to assume the faintest flush, her eyelids quivered, and in a strange, low whisper she uttered a word which to us was unintelligible. Again she articulated it with evident difficulty; then a convulsive shudder shook her frame, her breast heaved, and her features again grew pale and rigid. We stood watching her for a moment. One of the constables placed his hand upon her breast, but withdrew it, saying, "It's all over with her, poor thing; I'm afraid the doctor won't be able to do her any good." And we sat down to await the arrival of the inspector and surgeon, conversing only in low whispers. A few minutes had elapsed, when they entered. The doctor, as soon as he saw her, shook his head, saying, "Dead, poor woman! Ah! stabbed to the heart, I see." "Murder, evidently," exclaimed the inspector, glancing round; then turning to the constables, he asked, "Have you searched the house?" "Yes, sir," they replied. "Found anything?" "This, we found in the hall," replied one of the men, taking a small Indian dagger from a side-table, "and this paper was pinned upon her dress." The production of the seal caused both the inspector and doctor to start in surprise, and the former, after examining it, placed it carefully in his pocket-book. Taking the knife in his hand, the inspector examined it minutely. It was stained with blood--evidently the weapon with which the murderer had dealt the fatal blow. The doctor also looked at it, and wiping the blood from the victim's breast, gazed upon the wound, saying, "Yes, that's the knife, without a doubt; but who did it is the question." "Who's this gentleman?" asked the officer, jerking his thumb towards me. "Gentleman who informed us, sir." "Do you know who lives here?" he asked, sharply, turning to me. "No, I do not. I am quite a stranger; in fact, I have never been in this street before in my life." "Hum!" he grunted, in a rather suspicious manner. "And how came you to know anything about the affair?" "I chanced to be passing at the time, and my attention was attracted by a scream. I found a space between the blind and the window, and my curiosity being aroused, I looked in and saw the woman had been murdered." "Is that all you know?" he asked. "That's all." "Well, you won't mind just stepping round to the station for a few minutes, will you? Then you can give us your version of the matter."