her own chamber. But when you leave this room pray lock it
up, and place a servant before the door as sentry, that nothing may be
disturbed before the inquest."

Lastly addressing the stupefied house-steward, he said:

"McRath, come with me. The castle doors must all be closed, and no
one permitted to learn the arrival of a police force, which must be
immediately summoned."

So saying, after a last agonized gaze upon the insensible form of his
bride, he left the room of horrors, followed by the house-steward and all
the male intruders.

The news of the murder spread through the castle and all over the island,
carrying consternation with it. Yet the wedding guests outside, who were
quite at liberty to go, showed no disposition to do so. They had come to
take part in a joyous wedding festival--they remained, held by the
strange fascination of ghastly interest that hangs over the scene of
a murder--and such a murder!

So, the crowd, instead of diminishing, greatly increased. Peasants from
the hills around, who, having had no wedding garments, had forborne to
appear at the feast, now came in their tattered plaids, impelled by an
eager curiosity to gaze upon the walls of the castle, and see and hear
all they could concerning the mysterious murder that had been perpetrated
within it.

The country side rang with the terrible story. And soon the telegraph
wires flashed it all over the kingdom.

The coroner hastened to the castle, inspected the corpse, and ordered
that everything should remain untouched. He then empanelled a jury for
the inquest, whose first session was held in the chamber of death, from
which the suffering daughter of the deceased banker had been tenderly
removed.

Such among the guests who were not detained as witnesses, found
themselves at liberty to depart. But very few availed themselves of
the privilege. They preferred to stop and see the end of the inquest.

Skillful and experienced detectives were summoned by telegraph from
Scotland Yard, London, and arrived at the castle about midnight.

The house was placed in charge of the police while the investigation was
pending.

But the materials for the formation of a decided verdict seemed very
meagre.

A careful examination of the body showed that the banker had been killed
by one mortal blow inflicted by a blunt and heavy instrument that had
crushed in the skull. The instrument was searched for, and soon found
in a small but very heavy bronze