CONTENTS

I.[The Girl Across the Hall]
II.[The Tragedy]
III.[Janet Pembroke]
IV.[Doctor Post's Discovery]
V.[Several Clues]
VI.[The Inquest Begins]
VII.[I Give Evidence]
VIII.[An Awful Implication]
IX.[George Lawrence]
X.[Person or Persons Unknown]
XI.[The Chained Door]
XII.[Janet is Our Guest]
XIII.[Janet is Mysterious]
XIV.[Mrs. Altonstall]
XV.[Who is J. S.?]
XVI.[Leroy Arrives on the Scene]
XVII.[Can Leroy Be Guilty?]
XVIII.[The Rooms in Washington Square]
XIX.[A Talk With Janet]
XX.[The Initialed Handkerchief]
XXI.[Fleming Stone]
XXII.[A Call on Miss Waring]
XXIII.[Lawrence's Statement]
XXIV.[The Chain of Evidence]

[I]

THE GIRL ACROSS THE HALL

I do hate changes, but when my sister Laura, who keeps house for me, determined to move further uptown, I really had no choice in the matter but to acquiesce. I am a bachelor of long standing, and it's my opinion that the way to manage women is simply to humor their whims, and since Laura's husband died I've been rather more indulgent to her than before. Any way, the chief thing to have in one's household is peace, and I found I secured that easily enough by letting Laura do just as she liked; and as in return she kept my home comfortable and pleasant for me, I considered that honors were even. Therefore, when she decided we would move, I made no serious objection.

At least, not in advance. Had I known what apartment-hunting meant I should have refused to leave our Gramercy Park home.

But "Uptown" and "West Side" represented to Laura the Mecca of her desires, and I unsuspectingly agreed to her plans.