n lock or bolt to be seen anywhere, except in
the safe in the banker's room.

Suspicion seemed to point to some inmate of the castle, who must have let
the miscreants in.

Yes, but what inmate?

No member of the small family, of course; no visitor, certainly; no
servant, probably! Yet, for want of another subject, suspicion fell upon
Peters, the valet. He was always the last to see his master at night, and
the first to see him in the morning. He had a pass-key to the ante-room
of his master's chamber. It was believed to be a very suspicious
circumstance, also that he had so persistently declined to call his
master that morning, asserting as he did to the very last that Sir Lemuel
had given orders that he should not be disturbed until he rang his bell.

This story of the valet was doubted. It was suspected that he might have
been in league with the robbers and murderers, might have admitted them
to the house that night after the family had retired, and concealed them
until the hour came for the commission of their crime; and that he made
excuses in the morning not to call his master so as to prevent as long as
possible the discovery of the murder, and give the murderers time to get
off from the scene of their awful crime.

The valet was not openly accused by any one. The officers of the law were
too discreet to permit that to be done.

But he was detained as a witness, and subjected to a very severe
examination.

Peters was a very tall, very spare, middle-aged man, with a slight stoop
in his shoulders, with a thin, flushed face, sharp features, weak, blue
eyes, and scanty red hair and whiskers, dressed with foppish precision.
He looked something like a fool; but as little like the confederate
of robbers and murderers as it was possible to imagine.

Witness testified that his name was Abraham Peters, that he was born in
Drury Lane, London, and was now forty years of age; that he had been in
the service of Sir Lemuel Levison for the last five years; that he loved
and honored the deceased banker, and had every reason to believe that his
master valued him also. He said that it was his service every night to
assist his master in undressing and getting to bed, and every morning in
getting up and dressing.

A juror asked the witness whether he was in the habit of waiting every
morning for his master's bell to ring before going to his room.

The witness answered that he was not; that he had standing orders to call
hi