n the room in the old house?"
persisted Muller.

"Because I lost my false beard one day upon the staircase, and I feared
the old woman might have seen my face enough to recognise me again. I
thought it better to look for another place."

"And then you found this house."

"Yes, but several days later."

"And you hired it in the name of Miss Asta Langen? Who would then have
been found dead here several days after you had entered the house?"

"Several days, several weeks perhaps. I preferred to wait until the
woman who rented the house had read in the papers that Asta Langen had
disappeared and was being sought for. Somebody would have found her
here, and her identity would have easily been established, for I knew
that she had some important family documents with her."

Muller was silent a moment, with an expression of deep pity on his face.
Then he continued: "Yes, someone would have found her, and her suicide
would have been a dark mystery, unless, of course, malicious tongues
would have found ugly reasons enough why a beautiful young lady should
hide herself in a lonely cottage to take her own life."

Muller had spoken as if to himself. Egon Langen's lips, parted in a
smile so evil that Amster clenched his fists.

"And you would not have regretted this ruining the reputation as well as
taking the life of an innocent girl?" asked the detective low and tense.

"No, for I hated her."

"You hated her because she was rich and innocent. She was very
charitable and would gladly have helped you if you were in need. Beside
this, you were entitled to a portion of your father's estate. It is
almost thirty thousand guldens, as Mr. Fellner tells me. Why did you not
take that?"

"Fellner did not know that I had already received twenty thousand of
this when my father turned me out. He probably would have heard of it
later, for Berner was the witness. I did not care for the remaining ten
thousand because I would have the entire fortune after Asta's death. I
would have seen the official notice and the call for heirs in Australia,
and would have written from there, announcing that I was still alive. If
you had come several days later I should have been a rich man within a
year."

His clenched fist resting on his knee, the rascal stared out ahead
of him when he ended his shameless confession. In his rage and
disappointment he had not noticed that Muller's hand dropped gently to
the desk and softly took a little bottle from