He had scarcely uttered these words ere we ascended a couple of steps and entered what seemed to be a spacious place, the charge-room of the police-station. There was the sound of heavy tramping over bare boards, and suddenly a rather gruff voice inquired-- "Well, four-six-eight? What is it?" "Gentleman, sir--wants to report a tragedy. He's blind, sir." "Bring him a chair," said the inspector's voice authoritatively. My guide drew forward a chair, and I seated myself, saying-- "I believe you are the inspector on duty here?" "Yes, I am. Will you kindly tell me your name and address?" I did so, and the scratching of a quill told me that he was about to take down my statement. "Well?" he inquired at length. "Please go on, for my time is limited. What's the nature of the affair?" "I've been present to-night in a house where a double murder has been committed," I said. "Where?" "Ah! That's unfortunately just the mystery which I cannot solve. Being blind, I could obtain no idea of the exterior of the place, and in my excitement I left it without properly marking the house." "Tell me the whole of the facts," observed the officer. "Who are the victims?" "A woman and a man." "Young or old?" "Both young, as far as I can judge. At any rate, I examined the body of the man and found him to be about twenty-eight." "The gentleman has no idea of the street where the tragedy has occurred," chimed in the constable. "He met me outside the Museum, and the blood on his clothes was still wet." "He's got an injury to the head," remarked the inspector. "I was knocked down and rendered insensible by a cab," I explained. "When I again became conscious I found myself in a strange house." "They didn't rob you?" I felt in my pockets, but I could not discover that I had lost anything. I remembered that I had only a couple of half-sovereigns and some loose silver upon me, and this remained still in my pocket. My fingers touched the stud and pencil-case, and I hesitated whether to give these up to the police. But next second the thought flashed through my mind that if I did, suspicion might be aroused against me, and further that while I kept them in my possession I should possess a secret clue to the victims of the terrible tragedy. After I had fully explained the whole circumstances, and the inspector had written down with infinite care each word of my remarkable statement, he said-- "It seems as though both the man and woman fell victims to some plot or other. You say that there were no high words, and that all you heard was a woman's shriek, and a man's voice say, `Why, you've killed her!' Now, have you any idea of the identity of that man?" "None whatsoever," I answered. "My mind is a perfect blank on everything, save the personal appearance of the man who was afterwards struck to the heart." "Exactly. But don't you think that the man who expressed horror at the first crime fell the victim of the second?"