My good fortune pleased me, but my heart was nevertheless overburdened with sorrow. Sight of Ernest had reopened the gaping wound which I had so strenuously striven to heal by the aid of lighter loves. I now thought only of him. Ulrica, who was in front of me, gayly pushed open the door of our sitting-room and switched on the light, but ere she crossed the threshold she drew back quickly with a loud cry of horror and surprise. In an instant I was at her side. “Look!” she gasped, terrified, pointing to the opposite side of the room. “Look!” The body of a man was lying face downward upon the carpet, half hidden by the round table in the centre of the room. Together we dashed forward to his assistance and tried to raise him, but were unable. We succeeded, however, in turning him upon his side, and then his white, hard-set features became suddenly revealed. “My God!” I cried, awe-stricken. “What has occurred? Why--it’s Reggie!” “Reggie!” shrieked Ulrica, kneeling quickly and placing her gloved hand eagerly upon his heart. “Reggie!--and he’s dead!” “Impossible!” I gasped, petrified at the hideous discovery. “It is true!” she went on, her face white as that of the dead man before us. “Look! there’s blood upon his lips. See! the chair over there is thrown down and broken. There has apparently been a fierce struggle.” Next instant a thought occurred to me, and bending I quickly searched his inner pockets. The bank-notes were not there! Then the ghastly truth became entirely plain. Reginald Thorne had been robbed and murdered. CHAPTER IV RELATES SOME ASTOUNDING FACTS The amazing discovery held us in speechless bewilderment. The favorite of Fortune, who only a couple of hours before had been so full of life and buoyant spirits, and who had left us with a promise to return within ten minutes, was now lying still and dead in the privacy of our own room. The ghastly truth was so strange and unexpected as to utterly stagger belief. A mysterious and dastardly crime had evidently been committed there. I scarce knew what occurred during the quarter of an hour that immediately followed our astounding discovery. All I remember is that Ulrica, with her face blanched to the lips, ran out into the corridor and raised the alarm. Then there arrived a crowd of waiters, chambermaids, and visitors, everyone excitedly asking strings of questions, until the hotel manager came and closed the door upon them all. The discovery caused the most profound sensation, especially when the police and doctor arrived, quickly followed by two detectives. The doctor, a short, stout Frenchman, at once pronounced that poor Reggie had been dead more than half-an-hour, but the cursory examination he was enabled to make was insufficient to establish the cause of death. “Do you incline to a theory of death through violence?” one of the detectives inquired.