"Why," exclaimed Grady, lowering his voice as he led us through
the lobby, "it's the most mysterious thing, I think, that I've
ever seen!"

"In what way?" prompted Kennedy.

"Well," continued Grady, "it must have been just a bit after
midnight that one of the elevator-boys heard what sounded like a
muffled report in a room on the tenth floor. There were other
employees and some guests about at the time, and it was only a
matter of seconds before they were on the spot. Finally, the sound
was located as having come probably from Captain Shirley's room.
But the door was locked--on the inside. There was no response,
although some one had seen him ride up in the elevator scarcely
five minutes before. By that time they had sent for me. We broke
in. There was Shirley, alone, fully dressed, lying on the floor
before a writing-table. His face was horribly set, as though he
had perhaps seen something that frightened and haunted him--though
I suppose it might have been the pain that did it. I think he must
have heard something, jumped from the chair, perhaps in fear, then
have fallen down on the floor almost immediately.

"We hurried over to him. He was still alive, but could not speak.
I turned him over, tried to rouse him and make him comfortable. It
was only then that I saw that he was really conscious. But it
seemed as if his tongue and most of his muscles were paralyzed.
Somehow he managed to convey to us the idea that it was his heart
that troubled him most.