the desk here then?'
"'It were; I can swear to that.'
"'You saw it with your own eyes?'
"'I couldn't see it with no others,' replied Mrs. Middlemore, smirking, in approval of her small wit.
"'Of course, you could not. Is there any particular reason why you are so positive of this?'
"'Well, sir, Mr. Felix wanted something, and rung for me; and when I come into the room he was sitting at this table with the desk open before him, and all the papers scattered about.'
"'That fixes it. Did he seem to be searching for, or examining with more than usual interest, any special document?'
"'He seemed flustered and excited, sir. I can't say no more than that.'
"'He was not generally of an excitable temperament?'
"'Not at all. He was easy going, and always with a pleasant word.'
"'A model man. I observe that you call him Mr. and not Monsieur?'
"'I can't bring myself to foreign languages, sir. My tongue gits into a knot.'
"'He was a foreigner, I suppose?'
"'I suppose so, sir. I ain't the best of judges.'
"'A Frenchman?'
"'So I thought, sir.'
"'Or an Italian?'
"'Perhaps, sir,' said Mrs. Middlemore, wavering.
"'Or a Spaniard?'
"'Perhaps, sir,' said Mrs. Middlemore, growing more undecided.
"'Or a Russian?'
"'How can I say, sir?' said Mrs. Middlemore, now quite at sea as to M. Felix's nationality.
"'He spoke the English language well?'
"'As well as me, sir.'
"'So that, after all, he might have been an Englishman?'
"'He might,' said Mrs. Middlemore, declining to commit herself, 'and he mightn't.'
"Our reporter did not press the point, as to which Mrs. Middlemore had evidently disclosed all she knew.
"'If we could find the missing desk, Mrs. Middlemore, it might throw a light upon the mystery.'
"Again did Mrs. Middlemore decline to commit herself; again did she answer, 'It might, and it mightn't, sir.'
"'I presume there was nothing in the desk that attracted your attention besides the papers?'
"'Only one thing, sir-a curious sort of knife.'
"'A paper knife, most likely.'
"'It was more like a dagger,' said Mrs. Middlemore. 'It 'ad a 'andle like a twisted snake, with a' open mouth and a colored stone in its eye. It 'ad a sharp pint, too?'
"'How did you become aware of that? Did you ever try it?'
"'Not me, sir; but once I come in when Mr. Felix 'ad it in 'is 'and, playing with it, and all at once he dropped it like a 'ot pertater. He pricked 'isself with it, and there was blood on 'is 'and.'
"'You have furnished me with a valuable piece of evidence, Mrs. Middlemore. Papers are easily burnt, and a desk broken up and destroyed. It would not be so easy to get rid of that knife, which, from your description, must be a foreign dagger, and the identification of which would be a simple matter. For instance, you could swear to it, and so could I, who have never seen it.'
"'Anybody could swear to it, sir; it couldn't be mistook.'
"'Did M. Felix keep this dagger always in his desk?'
"'I should say he did, sir. I never saw it laying about loose, and never saw it at all unless the desk was open.'
"'Did you see it on the last occasion you saw the desk open, a few hours before M. Felix's death?'
"'Yes, sir, it was among 'is papers.'
"'Have you any suspicion, Mrs. Middlemore, who at this present moment has possession of the desk and the dagger?'
"'Not the least, sir. 'Ave you?'
"'I have. A suspicion amounting to a certainty. Have you forgotten the man with a red handkerchief round his neck who escaped from the house on the night of the eventful discovery?'
"'I'm not likely to forget 'im,' said Mrs. Middlemore, and then added, in an excited tone, 'do you think it was 'im as took it?'
"'Him, and no other. Now we arrive at the motive of his visit; it was robbery. Not a vulgar robbery such as an ordinary thief would have committed, but one of a particular nature, and committed with a knowledge that M. Felix's Indian desk contained a secret or secrets of value, which no doubt he could turn to good account. We are getting on, Mrs. Middlemore, we are getting on,' said our reporter, rubbing his hands in satisfaction. 'In these affairs there is nothing like patience.'
"'You're as good as a detective, sir,' said Mrs. Middlemore, 'and you've got the patience of Job. You won't mind my saying that I've thought lots of your questions foolish, and only put for the sake of saying something. I don't think so now, sir.'
"'Thank you for the compliment. I assure you I have not asked you one idle question. Recall to mind whether the man with the red handkerchief round his neck carried anything away with him that looked like a desk as he escaped from the house.'
"'I don't believe, sir,' said Mrs. Middlemore, with evident reluctance, 'as that will ever be known.'
"'Oh, yes, it will. Answer my question.'
"'I didn't notice nothing,' replied Mrs. Middlemore.
"We pause a moment here to observe that it was these reserved replies, when any question relating to this man was asked, as well as the conflicting testimony of the constables Wigg and Nightingale, that led us to the conclusion, already recorded, that the precise truth was not revealed as to which one of the three witnesses actually saw the man. Having committed themselves to a certain statement for the purpose of exonerating the constables from official blame, they could not afterward contradict themselves, because such a contradiction would have thrown grave doubt upon the whole of their evidence.
"'He could not,' said our reporter, 'very well have carried away an article of this description without its being noticed by any one who saw him.'
"'Ain't it excusable, sir,' observed Mrs. Middlemore, nervously, 'when you think of the storm and the confusion we was in?'
"'Well, perhaps, but it is a pity we cannot obtain definite information on the point. Isn't that a knock at the street door?'
"'Yes, sir,' said Mrs. Middlemore, making no attempt to move from the room.
"'You had better go down and see who it is. I will remain here. There is really nothing to be frightened at. It might be Sophy come back.'
"At this suggestion Mrs. Middlemore left the room, and went to the street door. Being alone, our reporter looked about him, and almost immediately made an important discovery. Against the wall, on the right hand side of the door as he entered, stood a massive sideboard, a very handsome piece of furniture. The lower part of this sideboard was close against the waistcoat, above which there was a space between the back of the sideboard and the wall of about an inch in width. Happening to glance at the back of the sideboard, the light of the candle which our reporter held in his hand fell upon something bright. Stooping, he drew the object out, and was excited to find it was the identical dagger about which he and Mrs. Middlemore had been conversing. There could not be the possibility of a mistake. Its handle, as Mrs. Middlemore had described, resembled a twisted snake; the mouth was open, and in its head was a ruby to represent an eye. A dangerous instrument, with a very sharp point, the metal of which it was composed being bright steel. But it was not the peculiar shape of the handle, nor the bright steel of the blade, nor the ruby eye, which excited our reporter. It was the fact that there was rust upon the blade, and that this rust was caused by blood, of which there were light stains plainly visible on the handle of the dagger."
CHAPTER XIII.
THE REPORTER OF THE "EVENING MOON" GIVES SOPHY A