There he stood, an iron-nerved man, trembling and nerveless in
expectancy of a revelation of horror; at length he uttered:
"This will not do; I am Vance."
He pushed open the door, thrust forward his lantern and
glanced in. The room was vacant. A sigh of relief fell from
his lips. He glanced around and became more and more
reassured. No ghastly sight of murdered beauty met his gaze,
and an ejaculation of thankfulness struggled front between his
lips.
The detective began a careful and thorough examination of the
room. There were no signs of a struggle, and another
significant fact was revealed; the girl's bed had not been
occupied; the tragedy had occurred in the day-time or early in
the evening, before the old boatman and his family had retired
to bed.
The detective returned to the main room and examined the body
of the old man. He also made a note of all the surroundings
and took possession of several articles that lay scattered
about the room. He did more; he sought for evidence as to the
identity of the assassin, and found several little articles
which he felt certain would aid him in trailing down the
guilty man.
Vance returned to the girl's chamber and renewed his search,
and succeeded in making several discoveries cries which, he
hoped, would serve as valuable clews in the future. He was
still searching, and deeply intent upon the duty, when he was
disturbed by hearing a voice.
"Great mercy! what has happened here?"
The detective was cool again.
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