Fayre looked at her with interest. She was dressed in a black coat and skirt and a small black felt hat, of the kind affected by the more downright type of middle-aged spinster. She was pale, but composed, and was apparently oblivious of the little stir occasioned by her entrance. Catching sight of Leslie, she bowed to him, gravely, but with marked friendliness. The Jury filed in, followed by the Coroner, an elderly man whose practice lay on the other side of Whitbury. His address to the Jury was short and to the point. “You have inspected the body of this lady,” he concluded, “and have been shown the cause of death, a bullet-wound in the left temple. The body, as you know, has already been identified. After hearing the evidence which will be brought before you, you are called on to settle in your minds in what way the deceased came by her death.” The proceedings opened with the evidence of Gunnet and Sergeant Brace. Brace described his visit to the farm and the discovery of the footsteps under the window and in the barn. He reported his conversation with Leslie concerning them. “You have not, so far, been able to trace them to any definite person?” suggested the Coroner. “We are making inquiries,” answered Brace evasively. “At present we have nothing to report.” One of the jurors, a tradesman whose shop was on the outskirts of Whitbury, cleared his throat nervously. “There was a tramp passed my place on Monday afternoon,” he volunteered. There was a slight delay while he was sworn in. “What time did you see this man?” “Round about four. I was dressing the window, that’s how I happened to remember the time. He was going in the direction of Keys, all right.” “Could you describe him?” “A smallish man. Thin, with a reddish face. That’s all I can remember. Don’t know as I should recognize him if I saw him again. I just noticed him in passing.” The Coroner recalled Brace. “I understand that the deceased was identified on the Monday night?” “I went straight from Mr. Leslie’s farm to Greycross, where I interviewed Miss Allen. At my suggestion she came at once with me to the mortuary. The body had arrived there about half an hour before and she identified it as that of her sister, Mrs. Henry Draycott, who was staying at her house.” The Coroner dismissed Brace and called Miss Allen. “I am sorry to have to ask these questions, Miss Allen,” he said. “I will be as brief as possible. Will you tell us the circumstances in which your sister left your house on Monday night. Was it usual for her to take a walk at this hour?” “Very unusual, I should say. It was a long time since she had stayed with me and she had only arrived the night before, but she had never been a walker and did not care for exercise, especially in bad weather.” “Can you think of anything which could have drawn her out on such a night?” “Nothing. I did not see her leave the house and was surprised when I discovered she was out. She had said nothing about going.”