was the same size and make."

"Would it not be well to see if it is still there?" suggested
the attorney. "I suppose you have a key to the desk."

"I have, sir," he replied, at the same time producing it. Crossing
the room, he unlocked and opened the desk. An instant later, he
announced, as he closed the desk, "It is not here."

There was a subdued murmur, and Mr. Thornton was heard to exclaim,
"Suicide! That has been my impression all along."

Ralph Mainwaring glanced inquiringly at the attorney, who shook
his head emphatically, while the coroner once more inspected the
wound with an air of perplexity.

"Doctor," inquired Ralph Mainwaring, "in your opinion, how long has
life been extinct?"

"I should judge about eight or nine hours," replied Dr. Hobart.
"What would you say, Dr. Westlake?"

"That would be my judgment, also."

"You would say that death was instantaneous?" questioned the
attorney.

"Without a doubt. It could not have been otherwise?" Ralph
Mainwaring consulted his watch. "It is now half after nine; in your
judgment, then, this must have occurred about one o'clock this