Then he picked up the knife and examined it curiously. The eyes of all present moved as with one accord from the dead man to the weapon that had slain him. Fresh footsteps were heard outside, the crowd at the door divided for a moment, and in came Mr. Chief Constable Mace attended by one of his men and Dr. Barton. The idlers were driven out, and the front door was shut and bolted. The news had spread, and already some half-hundred people had assembled outside the Bank. Those inside were waiting for the first words of Dr. Barton. Not long had they to wait. "He has been dead for several hours, probably since midnight, or even earlier," was the verdict. Then he asked that a table might be brought in from some other room, and the body be laid upon it. The knife was in Mr. Mace's possession by this time. He showed it to the doctor. "Yes, it looks like it, but we shall know better before long," said the latter. He was taking off his coat and rolling up his shirt-sleeves. Sweet, who was trembling like a jelly, had gone with one of the constables to fetch a table. "It seems to me as if there has been robbery as well as murder," said Mr. Judd, in a whisper to the chief constable, as he pointed to the open door of the strong room. Mr. Mace nodded. "You know the premises, Mr. Judd," he said. "Suppose you and I have a look." The strong room was in darkness except for a sickly gleam of daylight which penetrated through the small grated opening in the outer wall, but Ephraim struck a match and lighted the gas. The door of one of the three iron safes, the one in which bullion was always kept, was wide open. Apparently the safe had been rifled. Strewn about the floor were a number of documents, three or four empty cash-bags, and some books. There, too, open and empty, lay the black leather bag which had contained the twelve hundred pounds brought by Mr. Hazeldine from London the previous afternoon. "It looks as if somebody had been here that had no right to," said Mr. Mace. "It does indeed," assented Ephraim. "I think we ought to have Mr. Brancker here as soon as possible." "Right you are; and there's the poor gentleman's relations to be told. Who's to do that?" "I will go and break the news to Mr. Clement--that's the doctor--if you like, and then he can tell the others." "Do so, please; and could you not call on Mr. Brancker at the same time?" "He lives in an opposite direction. One of your men might fetch him in ten minutes. By-the-bye, I shouldn't be a bit surprised if Mr. B. was the last person who saw the Governor alive." "Ah; in that case the sooner we have him here the better. But what reason have you for saying so?" "Why, I met him about half-past ten last night on his way to the Bank. He said that he was coming to fetch his umbrella, but he may have seen Mr. H. at the same time." "Um! Well, we shall hear what he has to say when he arrives." "No doubt Sweet can tell you more of the matter than I can."