“In which direction did he then go?” asked the coroner.

“He went up onto the main avenue and turned towards the town.”

“Can you describe his appearance?”

“Only that he was tall and had very black hair; but his face was in the shadow, so I couldn’t tell how he looked.”

“What did he pick up from the ground?”

“I couldn’t see very plain, but it looked like a small, square box done up in paper.”

“You did not try to call any one?”

“No, sir.  The man didn’t go near the house, and I didn’t think much about it until Uncle Mose told me yesterday morning that the night before he seen — "

“Never mind what he saw; we will let him tell his own story.  Was that all you saw?”

“No, sir; it wasn’t,” replied Brown, with a quick side glance towards Mrs. LaGrange, who occupied the same position as on the preceding day.  “I was going along towards the stables, thinking about that man, and all of a sudden I noticed there was a bright light in one of the rooms up-stairs.  The curtains wasn’t drawn, and I thought I’d see whose room it was, so I walked up towards the house carefully, and I saw Mr. Mainwaring’s secretary.  He looked awfully pale and haggard, and was walking up and down the room kind of excited like.  Just then I happened to step on the gravelled walk and he heard me, for he started and looked kind of frightened and listened a moment, and then he stepped up quick and extinguished the light, and I was afraid he’d see me then from the window, so I hurried off.  But I thought ’twas mighty queer-”

“Mr. Scott was dressed, was he?” interrupted the coroner.

“Yes, sir,” Brown answered, sullenly.

“Did you go directly to your room?”

“Yes, sir.”

“What time was this?”

“I heard the clock strike three just after I got in.”

“You saw or heard nothing more?”

“No, sir.”

“You knew nothing of what had occurred at the house until the gardener told you in the morning?”

“N — yes — no, sir,” Brown stammered, with another glance towards Mrs. LaGrange, who was watching him closely.

“What did you say?” demanded the coroner.

“I said I didn’t know what had happened till Uncle Mose told me,” Brown answered, doggedly.

“That will do,” said the coroner, watching the witness narrowly as he resumed his place among the servants.

During the latter part of Brown’s testimony, quick, telegraphic glances had been exchanged between Scott and Mr. Sutherland, and one or two slips of paper, unobserved by any one but Merrick, had passed from one to the other.