afe. Blinders declared on oath that he had not on
Christmas Eve the slightest suspicion of the horrid tragedy which had
taken place in the Silent House during the time he was on duty.

When the police took possession of the body and mansion, search was made
in bedroom and sitting-room for papers likely to throw light on the
identity of the victim, but in vain. No letters or telegrams, or even
writing of any kind, could be discovered; there was no name in the dead
man's books, no mark on his clothes, no initials on his linen.

The landlord of the house declared that the deceased had hired the
mansion six months before, but had given no references, and as the
landlord was glad to let the haunted No. 13 on any terms, he had not
insisted upon having them. The deceased, said the landlord, had paid a
month's rent in advance in ready money, and at the end of every month he
had discharged his liability in the same way. He gave neither cheque nor
notes, but paid always in gold; and beyond the fact that he called
himself Mark Berwin, the landlord knew nothing about him.

The firm who had furnished the rooms made almost the same report, quite
as meagre and unsatisfactory. Mr. Berwin--so the deceased had given his
name--had ordered the furniture, and had paid for it in gold.
Altogether, in spite of every effort, the police were obliged to declare
themselves beaten. They could not find out the name of the victim, and
therefore were unable to learn his past life, or trace thereby if he had
an enemy likely to harm him.

Beyond the report given by Lucian of his conversation with the man,
which showed that Berwin certainly had some enemy whom he dreaded, there
was nothing discovered to show reason for the committal of the crime.

Berwin--so called--was dead; he was buried under his assumed name, and
there, so far as the obtainable evidence went, was an end to the strange
tenant of the Silent House. Gordon Link, the detective charged with the
conduct of the case, confessed as much to Denzil.

"I do not see the slightest chance of tracing Berwin's past," said he to
the barrister. "We are as ignorant about him as we are of the name of
the assassin."

"Are you sure there is no clue, Mr. Link?"

"Absolutely none; even the weapon with which the crime was committed
cannot be found."

"You have searched the house?"

"Every inch of it, and with the result that I have found nothing. The
surroundings of the case are most mysterious. If