cloak, but I heard her whisper, as if to herself: 'No! no! That
old hearth is not a lodestone. She can not have fallen there.'
And then she looked up quite wildly and cried: 'There is something
more ! Something which you have not told me.' 'She shot herself,
if that's what you mean.' Miss Tuttle's arms went straight up over
her head. It was awful to see her. 'Shot herself?' she gasped.
'Oh, Veronica, Veronica!' 'With a pistol,' he went on - I suppose
he was going to say, 'tied to her wrist,' but he never got it out,
for Miss Tuttle, at the word 'pistol' clapped her hands to her ears
and for a moment looked quite distracted, so that he thought better
of worrying her any more and only demanded to know if Mr. Jeffrey
kept any such weapon. Miss Tuttle's face grew very strange at this.
'Mr. Jeffrey! was he there?' she asked. The man looked surprised.
'They are searching for Mr. Jeffrey,' he replied. 'Isn't he here?
'No,' came both from her lips and mine. The man acted very
impertinently. 'You haven't told me whether a pistol was kept here
or not,' said he. Miss Tuttle tried to compose herself, but I saw
that I should have to speak if any one did, so I told him that Mr.
Jeffrey did have a pistol, which he kept in one of his bureau
drawers. But when the officer wanted Miss Tuttle to go up and see
if it was there, she shook her head and made for the front door,
saying that she must be taken directly to her sister."

"And did no one go up? Was no attempt made to see if the pistol
was or was not in the drawer?"

"Yes; the officer went up with me. I pointed out the place where
it was kept, and he rummaged all through it, but found no pistol.
I didn't expect him to -" Here the witness paused and bit her lip,
adding confusedly: "Mrs. Jeffrey had taken it, you see."