A lengthy deposition was signed by the hotel proprietor.  It set forth, in reference to Muhlen’s general habits, that this gentleman had hitherto not attended to his account; he had not been urgently pressed for a settlement.  One did not like to incommode foreign visitors with bills; it annoyed them so much that they sometimes migrated to other hotels and made debts there, debts which in certain unexpected cases were liquidated in full while the former and equally legitimate ones remained unpaid—­which was disheartening.  In regard to his recent mode of life, the document contained the suggestive fact that Muhlen had not taken his midday meal at the hotel for some time past.  He was strangely fond of going out in the late mornings, the proprietor averred; it might be, to bathe; he returned at about five in the afternoon after lunching, presumably, in some small restaurant by the shore.

This declaration, signed by a respected citizen, soon leaked into publicity.  Taken in conjunction with the discovery of his money it was an eye-opener to the whole community, and to nobody more than to the judge himself.  Signor Malipizzo argued, with his usual penetration, that Muhlen had intended to return to his quarters as he had always done of late.  The animus REVERTENDI was abundantly proven by the sleeve-links and loose cash.  He had not returned.  Ergo, something untoward had happened.  Untoward things may be divided, for the sake of convenience, into two main classes, sections, or categories: 

1.  Accidents. 2.  Foul play.

Which was it?

Signor Malipizzo dismissed as untenable the hypothesis of a clandestine withdrawal from local creditors.  By way of clearing up the last vestige of doubt, however, and also for the sake of appearances (seeing that a wise magistrate is supposed to take nothing for granted) he called for depositions for the sailors and fishermen.  It was a superfluous piece of work, a pure formality; he knew beforehand what they would say.  They always said the same thing.  They said it.  Interrogated on oath they declared, one and all, that no person answering to the description of Muhlen had appeared on the beach for a long time; not for the last eight months and twelve days, to be quite accurate; much less had such a one engaged a vessel.  The jovial but conservative sea-folk never varied their utterance on those many solemn occasions when a foreigner, for the purpose of evaporating, paid in advance for the hire of a boat, or was supposed to have done so.  Albeit even ignorant people attached no significance to this statement, it went for what it was worth as cumulative evidence.

The sight of that loose cash would have been quite enough for a man of Signor Malipizzo’s discernment.  Muhlen had not bolted.  Nor was he the kind of man to lose his life by an accident.  Not he!  Muhlen was careful of his skin.  Ergo, his disappearance was due to something which came under the second class, section, or category.  He had been done away with.