ailed by a smell of burning powder.

"The first sight which met my gaze was a man lying on the floor. He was
on his face, but I turned him over, and to my horror it was Mr. Thornton
Lyne. He was unconscious and bleeding from a wound in the chest," said
Mr. Milburgh, "and at the moment I thought he was dead. To say that I was
shocked would be mildly to describe my terrible agitation.

"My first thought--and first thoughts are sometimes right--was that he
had been shot down by Odette Rider, who for some reason had returned.
The room, however, was empty, and a curious circumstance, about which I
will tell you, was that the window leading out to the area of the flat
was wide open."

"It was protected with heavy bars," said Tarling, "so nobody could have
escaped that way."

"I examined the wound," Milburgh went on, nodding his agreement with
Tarling's description, "and knew that it was fatal. I do not think,
however, that Mr. Thornton Lyne was dead at this time. My next thought
was to stanch the wound, and I pulled open the drawer and took out the
first thing which came to my hand, which was a night-dress. I had to find
a pad and employed two of Odette's handkerchiefs for the purpose. First
of all I stripped him of his coat and his vest, a task of some
difficulty, then I fixed him up as best I could. I knew his case was
hopeless, and indeed I believe," said Mr. Milburgh soberly, "I believe
he was dead even before the bandaging was completed.

"Whilst I was doing something I found it was possible to forget the
terrible position in which I would find myself if somebody came into the
room. The moment I saw the case was hopeless, and had a second to think,
I was seized with a blind panic. I snatched my overcoat from the peg and
ran out of the room; through the back way into the mews, and reached
Camden Town that night, a mental and physical wreck."

"Did you leave the lights burning?" asked Tarling.

Mr. Milburgh thought for a moment.

"Yes," he said, "I left the lights burning."

"And you left the body in the flat?"

"That I swear," replied Milburgh.

"And the revolver--when you got home was it in your pocket?"

Mr. Milburgh shook his head.

"Why did you not notify the police?"

"Because I was afraid," admitted Mr. Milburgh. "I was scared to death. It
is a terrible confession to make, but I am a physical coward."

"There was nobody in the room?" persisted Tarling.

"Nobody so far as I could see. I tell you th