was closed. Near the bed were found a pair of razors
belonging to the murdered man, one of them upon the ground, and both
of them open. The weapon which inflicted the mortal wound was not to
be found in the room, nor were any footsteps or other traces of the
murderer discoverable. At the suggestion of Sir Arthur himself, the
coroner was instantly summoned to attend, and an inquest was held.
Nothing, however, in any degree conclusive was elicited. The walls,
ceiling, and floor of the room were carefully examined, in order to
ascertain whether they contained a trap-door or other concealed mode
of entrance, but no such thing appeared. Such was the minuteness of
investigation employed, that, although the grate had contained a
large fire during the night, they proceeded to examine even the very
chimney, in order to discover whether escape by it were possible. But
this attempt, too, was fruitless, for the chimney, built in the old
fashion, rose in a perfectly perpendicular line from the hearth, to
a height of nearly fourteen feet above the roof, affording in its
interior scarcely the possibility of ascent, the flue being smoothly
plastered, and sloping towards the top like an inverted funnel;
promising, too, even if the summit were attained, owing to its great
height, but a precarious descent upon the sharp and steep-ridged roof;
the ashes, too, which lay in the grate, and the soot, as far as it
could be seen, were undisturbed, a circumstance almost conclusive upon
the point.

Sir Arthur was of course examined. His evidence was given with
clearness and unreserve, which seemed calculated to silence all
suspicion. He stated that, up to the day and night immediately
preceding the catastrophe, he had lost to a heavy amount, but that,
at their last sitting, he had not only won back his original loss,
but upwards of L4,000 in addition; in evidence of which he produced
an acknowledgment of debt to that amount in the handwriting of the
deceased, bearing date the night of the catastrophe. He had mentioned
the circumstance to Lady Tyrrell, and in presence of some of his
domestics; which statement was supported by _their_ respective
evidence. One of the jury shrewdly observed, that the circumstance of
Mr. Tisdall's having sustained so heavy a loss might have suggested to
some ill-minded persons, accidentally hearing it, the plan of robbing
him, after having murdered him in such a manner as might make it
appear that he had committed sui