reporter--who was beginning to think he would get some good copy, after
all, that morning--regarded him with attention. Here, at any rate, was the
one witness who had actually found the pawnbroker's dead body.

Lauriston, his colour heightened a little under all this attention,
answered the preliminary questions readily enough. His name was Andrew
Carruthers Lauriston. His age--nearly twenty-two. He was a native of
Peebles, in Scotland--the only son of the late Andrew Lauriston. His
father was a minister of the Free Church. His mother was dead, too. He
himself had come to London about two years ago--just after his mother's
death. For the past few weeks he had lodged with Mrs. Flitwick, in Star
Street--that was his present address. He was a writer of fiction--stories
and novels. He had heard all the evidence already given, including that of
the last witness, Hollinshaw. All that Hollinshaw had said was quite true.
It was quite true that he had gone to Multenius's pawnshop about five-
thirty of the previous afternoon, on his own business. He had looked in
through both doors and window before entering the side-door: he wanted to
know who was in the shop--whether it was Mr. Multenius, or his grand-
daughter. He wanted to know that for a simple reason--he had never done
business with Mr. Multenius, never even seen him that he remembered, but
he had had one transaction with Miss Wildrose, and he wished, if possible,
to do his business with her. As a matter of fact he saw nobody inside the
shop when he looked in through the front door and the window--so he went
round to the side-entrance.

All this had come in answer to questions put by the Coroner--who now
paused and looked at Lauriston not unkindly.

"I daresay you are already aware that there is, or may be, some amount of
suspicious circumstances attaching to your visit to this place yesterday