"All right; so much for Corbut. Now for the two men. Would you know
them?"

"Not the man in room A. I didn't notice him particularly."

"But how about the man who came out of this room? He's the one we're
after."

"I would know him," said Gaspard, slowly. "Yes; I feel sure that I could
identify him."

"That's good. Now for the crime itself. Go back to the desk and ring for
a messenger. When he comes, send him here. Don't let anybody else come,
and don't say a word to anybody about this affair."

Gaspard, with a very pale face, went back to his desk.

Nick remained alone with the beautiful dead.

CHAPTER II.

GASPARD SPOTS HIS MAN.

A revolver lay on the carpet just where it would have been if it had
dropped from the woman's right hand.

Its position suggested the possibility of suicide, and there was, at the
first glance, nothing to contradict that theory, except the conduct of
Corbut and the man who had registered as John Jones.

It might be that the woman had committed suicide, and the men had fled
for fear of being implicated in the affair.

Nick examined this side of the case at once.

The pistol had evidently been held only a few inches from the woman's
head when it was fired.

Her white flesh showed the marks of the powder.

The bullet had passed straight through the head.

The revolver carried a long thirty-two cartridge. Three of the five
chambers were loaded.

One of them contained an empty shell, on which the hammer rested. The
fatal bullet had doubtless come from this chamber, for the shell had
been recently discharged.

In the fifth chamber was an old shell, which had apparently been carried
under the hammer for safety, as is quite common.

The woman had a purse containing about twenty dollars, but no cards or
other things which might lead to identification.

Her ears had been pierced for earrings, but she seemed not to have worn
them recently. She had no watch.

There was one plain gold ring on the third finger of her right hand, and
there was a deep mark showing that she had worn another, but that ring
was gone.

How recently it had been removed was, of course, beyond discovery.
There was no sign that it had been violently torn away.

When Nick had proceeded thus far with his investigation the messenger
boy arrived. The detective sent messages to his assistants, Chick and
Patsy.

He then notified a coroner, who came about ten o'clock and took charge
of the body.