“Ah! that puts new life into one!” he exclaimed, with a gasp.
His tone struck me as peculiar, and, regarding him attentively, it was plainly to be seen that he was in a very faint condition.
“This way,” he continued, as, bracing himself up, he led the way up the court.
“Here—here was where I found her, murdered!”
“Who?” I asked, instantly.
“My wife.”
The words were simple ones, and might have been spoken and heard a thousand times on any day; but at that time, and in those circumstances, they thrilled me indescribably. If those two words had been uttered by an enthusiastic lover to his bride for the first time, they could not have been more tenderly breathed.
Brushing aside all sentiment, however, I inquired, coldly, “When was this?”
“On the night of the fourth of March.”
“What! that was the night after I returned from Russia!” I exclaimed, involuntarily. “And the seal. Was that found upon her?”