e is Montague
Hill. I saw him first a few months ago at Mrs. White's boarding-house
in Russell Square. He subjected me there to great annoyance by
claiming me as his wife. As a matter of fact, I had never spoken to
him before in my life. Since then he has persistently annoyed me. I
have suspected him of possessing a skeleton key to my apartments.
To-night I locked up my flat at six o'clock. It was then, I am sure,
empty. I dined with a friend and went to the 'Unusual.' At a quarter
past eleven I returned here with this gentleman, Mr. Brendon. As we
turned the corner of the street, I noticed that the electric light was
burning in this room. We stopped for a moment to watch it, and almost
immediately it was turned out. We came on here at once. I found the
door locked as usual, but when we entered this room everything was as
you see. Nothing has been touched since."

The detective nodded.

"A very clear statement, madam," he said. "From what you saw from the
opposite pavement then, it is certain that some person who was able to
move about was in this room only a minute or so before you entered
it?"

"That is so," Anna answered.

"You met no one upon the stairs, or saw no one leave the flats?"

"No one," Anna answered firmly.

"Then either this man shot himself or some one else shot him
immediately before your arrival--or rather if it was not himself the
person who did it was in the room, say two minutes, before you
arrived."

"That is so," Anna admitted.

"I will not trouble you with any questions about the other occupants
of the flats," Mr. Dorling said. "I shall have to go through the
building. You say that this gentleman was with you?"

"I was," Brendon answered, "most providentially."

"You did not notice anything which may have escaped this lady? You saw
no one leave the flats?"

"No one," Brendon answered.

"You heard no pistol-shot?"

"None."

The detective turned again to Anna.

"You know of no one likely to have had a grudge against this man?" he
asked.

"No."

"There is no one else who has a key to your rooms?"

"No one except my maid, who is away in Wiltshire."

"The inference is, then," the detective said smoothly, "that this man
obtained admission to your rooms by means of a false key, that he
burnt some papers here and shot himself within a few moments of your
return. Either that or some other person also obtained admission here
and shot him, and that person is either still upon th