th the windows were wide open, and the snow and sleet were
beating thickly into the room, forming already a white carpet upon the
floor.

"The room was in semi-obscurity, and at first Mr. Pitt saw nothing, but
instinctively realizing that something was wrong, he lit a match, and
saw before him the spectacle of that awful and mysterious tragedy which
has ever since puzzled both police and public. On the floor, already
half covered by the drifting snow, lay the body of Mrs. Owen face
downwards, in a nightgown, with feet and ankles bare, and these and her
hands were of a deep purple colour; whilst in a corner of the room,
huddled up with the cold, the body of the cockatoo lay stark and stiff."

CHAPTER XXXV

SUICIDE OR MURDER?

"At first there was only talk of a terrible accident, the result of some
inexplicable carelessness which perhaps the evidence at the inquest
would help to elucidate.

"Medical assistance came too late; the unfortunate woman was indeed
dead, frozen to death, inside her own room. Further examination showed
that she had received a severe blow at the back of the head, which must
have stunned her and caused her to fall, helpless, beside the open
window. Temperature at five degrees below zero had done the rest.
Detective Inspector Howell discovered close to the window a wrought-iron
gas bracket, the height of which corresponded exactly with the bruise at
the back of Mrs. Owen's head.

"Hardly however had a couple of days elapsed when public curiosity was
whetted by a few startling headlines, such as the halfpenny evening
papers alone know how to concoct.

"'The mysterious death in Percy Street.' 'Is it Suicide or Murder?'
'Thrilling details--Strange developments.' 'Sensational Arrest.'

"What had happened was simply this:

"At the inquest a few certainly very curious facts connected with Mrs.
Owen's life had come to light, and this had led to the apprehension of a
young man of very respectable parentage on a charge of being concerned
in the tragic death of the unfortunate caretaker.

"To begin with, it happened that her life, which in an ordinary way
should have been very monotonous and regular, seemed, at any rate
latterly, to have been more than usually chequered and excited. Every
witness who had known her in the past concurred in the statement that
since October last a great change had come over the worthy and honest
woman.

"I happen to have a photo of Mrs. Owen as she was befor