ne of the garments
bore any name or identifiable mark.

Willis then occupied himself the contents of the pockets. Besides the
gold watch and chain, bunch of keys, knife, cigarette case, loose
coins and other small objects which a man such as the deceased might
reasonably be expected to carry, there were two to which the inspector
turned with some hope of help.

The first was a folded sheet of paper which proved to be a receipted
hotel bill. It showed that a Mr. Coburn and another had stayed in the
Peveril Hotel in Russell Square during the previous four days. When
Willis saw it he gave a grunt of satisfaction. It would doubtless offer
a ready means to learn the identity of the deceased, as well possibly as
of the other, in whom Willis was already even more interested. Moreover,
so good a clue must be worked without delay. He called over the second
plain clothes man.

"Take this bill to the Peveril, Matthews," he ordered. "Find out if
the dead man is this Coburn, and if possible get on the track of his
companion. If I don't get anything better here I shall follow you round,
but keep the Yard advised of your movements in any case."

Before the man left Willis examined the second object. It was a
pocket-book, but it proved rather disappointing. It contained two five
pound Bank of England notes, nine one pound and three ten shilling
Treasury notes, the return half of a third-class railway ticket from
Hull to King's Cross, a Great Northern cloakroom ticket, a few visiting
cards inscribed "Mr. Francis Coburn," and lastly, the photograph by
Cramer of Regent Sweet of a pretty girl of about twenty.

Willis mentally noted the three possible clues these articles seemed to
suggest; inquiries in Hull, the discovery of the girl through Messrs.
Cramer, and third and most important, luggage or a parcel in some
Great Northern cloakroom, which on recovery might afford him help. The
presence of the money also seemed important, as this showed that the
motive for the murder had not been robbery.

Having made a parcel of the clothes for transport to the Yard, reduced
to writing the statements of the driver and of the porter who had made
the discovery, and arranged with the doctors as to the disposal of the
body, Willis closed and locked the taxi, and sent it in charge of a
constable to Scotland Yard. Then with the cloakroom ticket he went round
to see if he could find the office which had issued it.

The rooms were all shut for the n