“The thing now was to search the Chapel, which is small and extremely old.  It is very massively built, and entered through only one door, which leads out of the castle itself, and the key of which is kept by Sir Alfred Jarnock, the butler having no duplicate.

“The shape of the Chapel is oblong, and the altar is railed off after the usual fashion.  There are two tombs in the body of the place; but none in the chancel, which is bare, except for the tall candlesticks, and the chancel rail, beyond which is the undraped altar of solid marble, upon which stand four small candlesticks, two at each end.

“Above the altar hangs the ‘waeful dagger,’ as I had learned it was named.  I fancy the term has been taken from an old vellum, which describes the dagger and its supposed abnormal properties.  I took the dagger down, and examined it minutely and with method.  The blade is ten inches long, two inches broad at the base, and tapering to a rounded but sharp point, rather peculiar.  It is double-edged.

“The metal sheath is curious for having a crosspiece, which, taken with the fact that the sheath itself is continued three parts up the hilt of the dagger (in a most inconvenient fashion), gives it the appearance of a cross.  That this is not unintentional is shown by an engraving of the Christ crucified upon one side, whilst upon the other, in Latin, is the inscription:  ‘Vengeance is Mine, I will Repay.’  A quaint and rather terrible conjunction of ideas.  Upon the blade of the dagger is graven in old English capitals:  I WATCH.  I STRIKE.  On the butt of the hilt there is carved deeply a Pentacle.

“This is a pretty accurate description of the peculiar old weapon that has had the curious and uncomfortable reputation of being able (either of its own accord or in the hand of something invisible) to strike murderously any enemy of the Jarnock family who may chance to enter the Chapel after nightfall.  I may tell you here and now, that before I left, I had very good reason to put certain doubts behind me; for I tested the deadliness of the thing myself.

“As you know, however, at this point of my investigation, I was still at that stage where I considered the existence of a supernatural Force unproven.  In the meanwhile, I treated the Chapel drastically, sounding and scrutinizing the walls and floor, dealing with them almost foot by foot, and particularly examining the two tombs.

“At the end of this search, I had in a ladder, and made a close survey of the groined roof.  I passed three days in this fashion, and by the evening of the third day I had proved to my entire satisfaction that there is no place in the whole of that Chapel where any living being could have hidden, and also that the only way of ingress and egress to and from the Chapel is through the doorway which leads into the castle, the door of which was always kept locked, and the key kept by Sir Alfred Jarnock himself, as I have told you.  I mean, of course, that this doorway is the only entrance practicable to material people.