s back door, being
absolutely determined to see him. Wallingford answered that she would
get no good by waylaying him; he had found her out and was done with
her; she was an impostor, an adventuress; she had come to the end of her
tether. She then demanded some letters--her letters; there were excited
words about this from each, and it was not easy to catch all that was
said; at times they were both speaking together. But she got in a clear
demand at last--was he or was he not going to hand those letters over?
He said no, he was not--they were going to remain in his possession as a
hold over her; she was a danger to the community with her plottings and
underhand ways, and he intended to show certain of those letters to
others. There was more excited wrangling over this--I heard Dr.
Wellesley's name mentioned, then Mallett's: I also heard some reference,
which I couldn't make head or tail of, to money and documents. In the
midst of all this Wallingford suddenly told her to go; he had had enough
of it, and had his work to attend to. Once more she demanded the
letters; he answered with a very peremptory negative. Then I heard a
sound as of his chair being pulled up to his desk, followed by a brief
silence. Then, all of a sudden, I heard another sound, half-cry,
half-groan, and a sort of dull thud, as if something had fallen. A
moment later, as I was wondering what had happened, and what to do, I
heard the door which opens into the corridor close gently. And at that I
pushed back the panel and looked into the Mayor's Parlour."

It seemed to Brent that every soul in that place, from the grey-haired
chairman on the bench to the stolid-faced official by the witness-box
was holding his breath, and that every eye was fastened on Krevin Crood
with an irresistible fascination. There was a terrible silence in the
court as Krevin paused, terminated by an involuntary sigh of relief as
he made signs of speaking again. And, in that instant, Brent saw Mrs.
Elstrick, the tall gaunt woman of whom he had heard at least one
mysterious piece of news from Hawthwaite, quietly slip out of her place
near the outer door and vanish; he saw too that no one but himself saw
her go, so absorbed were all others in what was coming.

"When I saw--what I did see," continued Krevin, in a low, concentrated
tone, "I went in. The Mayor was lying across his desk, still, quiet. I
touched his shoulder--and got blood on my fingers. I knew then what had
happened-