"He had taken mental note of the name of the firm at which the suit of clothes which had been found in the river was purchased, and he went direct to that establishment in Tottenham Court Road. It happened, fortunately, that business was slack at that time of the day, and as customers were few and far between he had little difficulty in obtaining an interview with the manager, who, when he heard that our reporter was engaged upon the Evening Moon, gave him his entire attention.

"'It's the smartest paper in London,' said the manager; 'I take it in regularly.'

"'I should like you to treat the matter I have come upon as private between you and me. We are interested in a certain case which may or may not be made public, and in which, perhaps, you can assist us in an indirect way. If it prove to be so your establishment will get an advertisement for nothing.'

"'We shall be glad to get it,' said the manager. 'A good word from you gentlemen of the press is always acceptable. I dare say you notice we advertise in your paper. Tell me what I can do for you.'

"'I wish to ascertain, confidentially, under what circumstances a certain suit of clothes was purchased in your establishment. All the clothing you sell is marked with your name, is it not?'

"'Yes, wherever we can get it in. There are some things that cannot be marked, but suits of clothes can; coats on the bands they are hung up by, waistcoats on the inner lining, trousers on the waistbands. What kind of a suit was it, and on what day was it purchased?'

"'I cannot name the day exactly, but say within the last two or three weeks. It was a suit of tweed.'

"'Can you identify the pattern?'

"'Yes, if you will let me see samples of your stock.'

"'I will show you what we have.'

"They looked through a wonderful assortment of men's clothing, but our reporter saw none exactly similar to the pattern he wished to identify.

"'Was it a suit for a large or a small man?' inquired the manager.

"'For a small man; almost what you would call a youth's suit.'

"'What you have seen is principally our new stock; we have some others which our salesmen endeavor to get rid of; we don't like to keep old stock too long on our hands.'

"They went through other departments, and at length, on one of the upper shelves, our reporter pointed to a pattern he thought he recognized.

"'That seems to be it. I shall know on a closer inspection.'

"The suit was taken down, and our reporter saw that he had reached the first stage of his inquiry.

"'This is the pattern,' he said.

"'It narrows the matter,' said the manager. 'There is only this one suit left of this particular pattern. Three weeks ago there were two, so that within that time one has been sold. The salesman in this department is a man with a good memory.'

"The salesman being called, our reporter explained what he wanted. The man considered a little, and said:

"'I remember something of it, because of a circumstance. I will look up my sale book and compare it with the day book, to fix the date.'

"He departed to make the investigation, and, returning, said:

"'I can tell you all about it now. I served the lady myself.'

"'The lady!' exclaimed our reporter.

"'Yes, it was a lady who made the purchase. I served her first with a suit which she paid for, and which she brought back later in the day, saying it was too large. I changed it for one of this pattern.'

"'Did she say for whom she required the clothes?'

"'For a young man of about her own size. I supposed they were for a son or for a brother much younger than herself.'

"'What should you judge her age to have been?'

"'Forty or so.'

"'I told you he had a good memory,' said the manager, with an approving smile at his salesman.

"'You speak of her as a lady,' said our reporter. 'Are you certain she was one?'

"'She spoke and conducted herself as one. She was not a workingman's wife, or she would have been more particular as to price, and might have haggled a bit, though all our clothes are marked in plain figures. I could see she wasn't used to purchasing men's clothing from the remarks she made. All that she was particular about was the fit.'

"'What did she pay for the suit?'

"'Fifty-five shillings. She handed me a five-pound note, and I gave her the change. Working women don't pay for their purchases in bank notes. Would you like the number of the note?'

"'Can you give it to me?'

"'Yes; we always take down the numbers.'

"Again he departed and returned, and gave our reporter the number of the note, written on a bill-head.

"'I am under a great obligation to you,' said our reporter. 'Is this suit you have left the only one of the same pattern you have in your establishment?'

"'The only one, sir, and we are not likely to have any more.'

"'I will take it with me.'

"The account was made out, settled, and receipted, and our reporter, thanking the manager, left the shop--which, in accordance with modern ideas, was called an 'Emporium'--with the suit of clothes under his arm. He had a distinct motive in making the purchase. The inspector might take it into his head to make inquiries at the establishment, and our reporter had removed the only evidence of direct identification it could furnish.

"It was now six o'clock. His appointment with Mrs. Weston in Forston Street was fixed for eight. He had an hour and a half to spare, sufficient time to take a chop and a pancake and to arrange his ideas. Selecting a quiet-looking restaurant, he took a seat at an unoccupied table, ordered his chop and pancake, and began to write in the convenient reporter's book which he always kept about him. He did this for clearness; he felt that he was approaching an important point in the mission he had taken upon himself, and that his interview with Mrs. Weston was destined to be pregnant in results. It would be of assistance to him to set things down in writing instead of trusting entirely to memory. The memoranda he made are now set forth:

"Heads of circumstantial evidence which lead me to the belief that Mrs. Mary Weston, otherwise E. B. (initials worked in lady's handkerchief), is directly connected with the incidents which happened in Mrs. Middlemore's house in Gerard Street, Soho, on the night of the death of M. Felix.

"First--On that night a man was seen making a hurried escape from the house at the moment (presumably) M. Felix was drawing his last............