a man of very
keen sight to force himself into a house closed for the night, and kill
a man in the dark at one shot."

"On the contrary, it is only a blind man who could do this," cried a
voice from the doorway. "Those who trust to eyesight must be able to
catch a glimpse of the mark they aim at, and this room, as I have been
told, was without a glimmer of light. But the blind trust to sound, and
as Mr. Hasbrouck spoke--"

"Oh!" burst from the horrified wife, "is there no one to stop him when
he speaks like that?"

III

As you will see, this matter, so recklessly entered into, had proved
to be of too serious a nature for me to pursue it farther without
the cognizance of the police. Having a friend on the force in whose
discretion I could rely, I took him into my confidence and asked for his
advice. He pooh-poohed the doctor's statements, but said that he would
bring the matter to the attention of the superintendent and let me
know the result. I agreed to this, and we parted with the mutual
understanding that mum was the word till some official decision had been
arrived at. I had not long to wait. At an early day he came in with the
information that there had been, as might be expected, a division of
opinion among his superiors as to the importance of Dr. Zabriskie's
so-called confession, but in one point they had been unanimous and that
was the desirability of his appearing before them at Headquarters for
a personal examination. As, however, in the mind of two out of three of
them his condition was attributed entirely to acute mania, it had been
thought best to employ as their emissary one in whom he had already
confided and submitted his case to,--in other words, myself. The time
was set for the next afternoon at the close of his usual office hours.

He went without reluctance, his wife accompanying him. In the short time
which elapsed between their leaving home and entering Headquarters,
I embraced the opportunity of observing them, and I found the study
equally exciting and interesting. His face was calm but hopeless, and
his eye, dark and unfathomable, but neither frenzied nor uncertain. He
spoke but once and listened to nothing, though now and then his wife
moved as if to attract his attention, and once even stole her hand
towards his, in the tender hope that he would feel its approach and
accept her sympathy. But he was deaf as well as blind; and sat wrapped
up in thoughts which she, I know, would have given