Spargo lived in Bloomsbury, on the west side of Russell Square. Every night and every morning he walked to and from the _Watchman_ office by the same route—Southampton Row, Kingsway, the Strand, Fleet Street. He came to know several faces, especially amongst the police; he formed the habit of exchanging greetings with various officers whom he encountered at regular points as he went slowly homewards, smoking his pipe. And on this morning, as he drew near to Middle Temple Lane, he saw a policeman whom he knew, one Driscoll, standing at the entrance, looking about him. Further away another policeman appeared, sauntering. Driscoll raised an arm and signalled; then, turning, he saw Spargo. He moved a step or two towards him. Spargo saw news in his face. “What is it?” asked Spargo. Driscoll jerked a thumb over his shoulder, towards the partly open door of the lane. Within, Spargo saw a man hastily donning a waistcoat and jacket. “He says,” answered Driscoll, “him, there—the porter—that there’s a man lying in one of them entries down the lane, and he thinks he’s dead. Likewise, he thinks he’s murdered.” Spargo echoed the word. “But what makes him think that?” he asked, peeping with curiosity beyond Driscoll’s burly form. “Why?” “He says there’s blood about him,” answered Driscoll. He turned and glanced at the oncoming constable, and then turned again to Spargo. “You’re a newspaper man, sir?” he suggested. “I am,” replied Spargo. “You’d better walk down with us,” said Driscoll, with a grin. “There’ll be something to write pieces in the paper about. At least, there may be.” Spargo made no answer. He continued to look down the lane, wondering what secret it held, until the other policeman came up. At the same moment the porter, now fully clothed, came out. “Come on!” he said shortly. “I’ll show you.” Driscoll murmured a word or two to the newly-arrived constable, and then turned to the porter. “How came you to find him, then?” he asked The porter jerked his head at the door which they were leaving. “I heard that door slam,” he replied, irritably, as if the fact which he mentioned caused him offence. “I know I did! So I got up to look around. Then—well, I saw that!” He raised a hand, pointing down the lane. The three men followed his outstretched finger. And Spargo then saw a man’s foot, booted, grey-socked, protruding from an entry on the left hand. “Sticking out there, just as you see it now,” said the porter. “I ain’t touched it. And so—” He paused and made a grimace as if at the memory of some unpleasant thing. Driscoll nodded comprehendingly. “And so you went along and looked?” he suggested. “Just so—just to see who it belonged to, as it might be.” “Just to see—what there was to see,” agreed the porter. “Then I saw there was blood. And then—well, I made up the lane to tell one of you chaps.” “Best thing you could have done,” said Driscoll. “Well, now then—”