he house last night?"

"Yes, suh. I done lef' dat man in. But that's all I know----"

"Had you ever seen him before that?"

"I declah I never did, suh! And I was mighty s'prised when he tole me he
was Miss Ma'y's fathah. I never knowed she had a fathah."

"Did you hear nothing later? No loud talking--the noise, or shock of a
fall?"

"No, suh."

The inquisitor now turned to the nurse.

"Now, Miss----"

"Wheeler," she said, quietly. "Susan Wheeler."

"Tell us what _you_ know of this matter, if you please, Miss Wheeler."

"Miss Burton had been feeling rather better all day yesterday," said the
nurse, "and as the evening went on she said I could go to bed, as she
meant to wait up for her brother."

"And did you do so?"

"No, sir," replied the nurse. "Miss Burton once or twice before had
overestimated her strength, and ever since then I have been careful
never to be too far away. Instead of going to bed I came into this room,
got a book and began to read."

Osborne coughed behind his hand; the eyes of the assistant coroner
snapped with appreciation. But Bat Scanlon gave his attention to young
Burton and his sister; the girl had sat up with sudden, unlooked-for
strength, and was regarding the quiet young nurse with dilated eyes. The
face of the brother had gone gray; he held to the heavy frame of his
sister's chair, and the big trainer noted that he swayed slightly.

"And were you in this room when the man, now dead, was shown into the
one across the hall?"

"I was," replied the nurse, with the calm impersonal manner of her kind.
"I heard the ring and heard what he said to the maid; and, like her, I
was surprised to hear that it was Miss Burton's father. However, I paid
little attention, but went on with my reading."

"Did you hear any of the conversation?"

"I heard voices--or to be more correct, I heard a voice. The father did
all the talking as far as I could hear; but, as I have said, I was
interested in my book."

"You don't recall any scraps of talk--a detached phrase?--anything?"

The nurse shook her head.

"The only clear impression I have is of the man's laugh; there was
something irritating about it, and I wished he'd stop."

"When the younger Mr. Burton came home--what then?"

"The voices rose suddenly; but the two doors were closed and I could
only catch a word here and there. But I did hear young Mr. Burton call
his father a rascal and order him to leave the house. Just about then I
t