among the people round
the bed.

"He's pulled off his beard!" cried Gooseberry.

There was another pause--Sergeant Cuff asked for something. The landlord
went to the wash-hand-stand, and returned to the bed with a basin of
water and a towel.

Gooseberry danced with excitement on the chair. "Come up here, along
with me, sir! He's washing off his complexion now!"

The Sergeant suddenly burst his way through the people about him,
and came, with horror in his face, straight to the place where I was
standing.

"Come back to the bed, sir!" he began. He looked at me closer, and
checked himself "No!" he resumed. "Open the sealed letter first--the
letter I gave you this morning."

I opened the letter.

"Read the name, Mr. Blake, that I have written inside."

I read the name that he had written. It was GODFREY ABLEWHITE.

"Now," said the Sergeant, "come with me, and look at the man on the
bed."

I went with him, and looked at the man on the bed.

GODFREY ABLEWHITE!

SIXTH NARRATIVE

Contributed by SERGEANT CUFF

I

Dorking, Surrey, July 30th, 1849. To Franklin Blake, Esq. Sir,--I beg
to apologise for the delay that has occurred in the production of the
Report, with which I engaged to furnish you. I have waited to make it a
complete Report; and I have been met, here and there, by obstacles which
it was only possible to remove by some little expenditure of patience
and time.

The object which I proposed to myself has now, I hope, been attained.
You will find, in these pages, answers to the greater part--if not
all--of the questions, concerning the late Mr. Godfrey Ablewhite, which
occurred to your mind when I last had the honour of seeing you.

I propose to tell you--in the first place--what is known of the manner
in which your cousin met his death; appending to the statement such
inferences and conclusions as we are justified (according to my opinion)
in drawing from the facts.

I shall then endeavour--in the second place--to put you in possession
of such discoveries as I have made, respecting the proceedings of Mr.
Godfrey Ablewhite, before, during and after the time, when you and he
met as guests at the late Lady Verinder's country-house.

II

As to your cousin's death, then, first.

It appears to be established, beyond any reasonable doubt, that he was
killed (while he was asleep, or immediately on his waking) by being
smothered with a pillow from his bed--that the persons guilty