of injury which he exhibited was in that
dreadful wound which had certainly proved his death, and which was
observable in his throat the moment they looked upon him.

[Illustration]

The crush to obtain a sight of the body was tremendous at the moment it
was brought out, and a vast concourse of persons followed it in
procession to the town, where the greatest excitement prevailed. It was
easily discovered that no known person was missing, and some who had
caught a sight of the body, went so far as to assert that it must have
been in the ice-well for years, and that the extreme cold had preserved
it in all its original freshness.

The news, of course, came round, although not through the baron, for he
did not condescend to say one word about it at the inn, and it was the
landlord who first started the suggestion of--"What suppose it is the
gentleman who left his horse here?"

This idea had no sooner got possession of his brain, than it each moment
seemed to him to assume a more reasonable and tangible form, and without
saying any more to any one else about it, he at once started off to
where the body lay awaiting an inquest, to see if his suspicions were
correct.

When he arrived at the public-house and asked to see the body, he was at
once permitted to do so; for the landlord knew him, and was as curious
as he could be upon the subject by any possibility. One glance, of
course, was sufficient, and the landlord at once said,--

"Yes, I have seen him before, though I don't know his name. He came to
my house last night, and left his horse there; and, although I only saw
him for a moment as he passed through the hall, I am certain I am not
mistaken. I dare say all my waiters will recognise him, as well as the
Baron Stolmuyer of Saltzburgh, who is staying with me, and who no doubt
knows very well who he is, for he went out with him late and came home
alone, and I ordered one of my men to wait up all night in order to let
in this very person who is now lying dead before us."

"The deuce you did! But you don't suppose the baron murdered him, do
you?"

"It's a mystery to me altogether--quite a profound mystery. It's very
unlikely, certainly; and what's the most extraordinary part of the whole
affair is, how the deuce could he come into one of the ice-wells
belonging to Anderbury House. That's what puzzles me altogether."

"Well, it will all come out, I hope, at the inquest, which is to be held
at four o'clock to day.