"Did he strike you as a man who was in fear of death?"

"No, he didn't," said the witness for the third time. "He seemed
happy enough. I never thought for one moment that he was dead
until I heard how his body had been found in the packing case."

The Coroner asked all manner of questions, and so did Inspector
Date; but all attempts to incriminate Quass were vain. He was
bluff and straightforward, and told--so far as could be judged--
everything he knew. There was nothing for it but to dismiss him,
and Eliza Flight was called as the last witness.

She also proved to be the most important, as she knew several
things which she had not told to her master, or to the reporters,
or even to the police. On being asked why she had kept silence,
she said that her desire was to obtain any reward that might be
offered; but as she had heard that there would be no reward, she
was willing to tell what she knew. It was an important piece of
evidence.

The girl stated that Bolton had retired to bed at eight on the
ground floor, and the bedroom had a window--as marked in the
plan--which looked on to the river a stone-throw distant. At
nine or a trifle later witness went out to have a few words with
her lover. In the darkness she saw that the window was open and
that Bolton was talking to an old woman muffled in a shawl. She
could not see the woman's face, nor judge of her stature, as she
was stooping down to listen to Bolton. Witness did not take much
notice, as she was in a hurry to see her lover. When she