u do?"

"I began to search for the emerald Buddha."

"What did Mr. Morgan do?"

"He first examined the body of the dead man, and then went to the
windows and examined the fastenings."

"Did he close or open the windows or fastenings?"

"I do not know. I paid little attention to him. I was greatly excited
about the loss of the jewel."

"Could he have fastened the window without your knowing it?"

"I suppose he could--I paid little attention to him."

"What happened then?"

"After our examination of the room we closed and locked the door. We
then had some coffee, after which Mr. Morgan went into Exeter and
notified the police."

"Major Temple, there is a window at the end of the hallway in the west
wing, which opens on to the roof over the porch. Is this window usually
bolted?"

"Always. I generally see to it myself. I have a valuable collection and
am afraid of thieves."

"Did you do so that night?"

"I did. I saw that it was bolted after seeing Mr. Ashton to his room and
before retiring to my own."

This comprised the bulk of Major Temple's testimony. There were some
other questions, but they were of little or no importance so far as
throwing any light upon the case was concerned.

Major Temple was followed by Gibson, who corroborated all that his
master had said, and similar testimony was given by the maid. There
was a feature of the latter's testimony, however, which bore more
directly upon the case and my supposed connection with it. She had
been, it seems, on the landing of the main stairway, sitting upon a
window seat, after dinner, waiting for Miss Temple to come upstairs.
It was her habit to sit there, she said, while waiting for Miss
Temple. In this position she was almost directly above the latter and
myself during the conversation we had had immediately after dinner on
the night of the tragedy. She testified that she could not hear all
our conversation--that she made no attempt to do so, as she was not an
eavesdropper--but that she had heard Miss Temple say in a loud and
agitated voice that she would "never marry Robert Ashton, never," and
ask me to help her, and that I had replied that she could depend upon
me absolutely. Immediately after this her mistress had come upstairs
and gone to her room.

"Did you accompany her to her room?" asked the Magistrate.

"No, sir. She told me as how she intended to read until quite late, Sir,
and that I could go to bed at once, as she would not requir