sed crime, Daisy Bunting felt that she had indeed become free of the Kingdom of Romance. Even the lift in which the three of them were whirled up to one of the upper floors of the huge building

vast building, Joe Chandler marched

oice was stilled by the awe she felt at the wonderful place where she found herself, and by the glimpses she ca

s and women's finger-tips! I expect you know, Mr. Bunting, as how, once we've got the print of a man's five finger-tips, well, he's done for-if he ever does anything else, that is. Once we've got that bit of him registered he can't never escape u

look came over his stolid face. "Wonderful, but also a very fearful

ord was here safe, managed to slash about his fingers something awful, just so as to make a blurred impression-you takes my

his breath, and a cloud even ca

in they came to a half-open door, leading into a room far

tips has given him away, so to speak. It's here we keeps an account of what he's done, his previous convict

Black Museum. All this that Joe and her father were saying was quite unreal to her, and, for t

terms with Joe Chandler, came forward suddenly, and, unlocking a common-place

of what they called the Science Room in the public library of the town where she lived with Old Aunt. Here, as there, the cen

by-looking little things, the sort of things one might turn out of an old rubbish cupboard in an untidy house-

erest-looking objects; bits of old iron, odd-loo

ly rather d

ch made the great room look so light and shadowless, was a row of life-size white plaster heads, each head slightly inclin

e?" asked Buntin

, pathetic, staring faces were the death-masks of those men and women who had fulfill

an of the Black Museum briefl

t look dead somehow. They looks more

atient's necktie under the left ear! That's what he does to each of the gentlemen to whom he has

n the left side of each neck; running from this indentation was a curious little furrow, well ridged above, sho

ke, rather than terrif

g wond

oved and fascinated by t

a man would look foolish at such a time as that, with all his plans broug

he would," sai

now began to understand that the shabby little objects lying there in the glass case close to her were each and a

f those Brahmins-so they calls themselves. Well, you'd a been quite surprised to see h

d he used! Exuded-squeezed out it means. He said that being here made him feel very bad. And twasn't all nonsense either. He turned quite

d Bunting. "I should say that man 'ud got

friend. "You show your friends round, Chandler. Yo

say good-bye, but it seemed that he

s here little case are the tools of Char

I have!" cried

adder; you see it folds up quite compactly, and makes a nice little bundle-just like a bundle of old sticks any man might have been seen carrying about London in those days without attracting any

of that!" cr

omatically; so Peace could stand on the ground and force the thing quietly up to any window he wished to reach. Then he'd go away again, having done his job, with a mere bundle of old wood under his ar

e finger," sug

e stump: you see, it's made of wood -wood and black felt? Well, that just held his hand n

e, she had moved away to the farther end of the great room, and now she was bending over

ls, filled with varying qu

ere's enough arsenic in that little whack o' brandy to do for

miling. Poison was so remote from herself, that the sigh

hat was sneaked out of

cosmetic for her comp

flypapers for to do a

it tired of h

away with," said Daisy. The idea struck them both as s

in Mrs. Pearce did?" asked Chan

They've got her in Madame Tussaud's. But Ellen, she won't let me go to the Chamber of Horrors. She wouldn't let father take me there

e bodies were found in, that's at Madame Tussaud's-at least so they claim, I can't say. No

o feel oppressed, frightened. She no longer wonder

he buttons was broken in two. Well, that don't seem much of a clue, does it, Miss Daisy? Will you believe me when I tells you that that

button which had hung a man. "And whatever's that!"

o' shirt that was buried with a woman- buried in the ground, I mean-after her husband had

very horrid place!" said Da

again, away from this brightly light

pes of infernal machines. "Beautiful little works of art some of

'ud give me the horrors. I don't want to have no nightmares to-night. It's dreadful to think there are so many wic

oss even a common swindler, let alone anyone who's committed a murder-not one in a mi

on the walls of the Black Museum; especially was he pleased to see those connected with a famous and still mysterious case which had taken place not

ny murderers get off

e's no such thing as justice here in England. 'Tis odds on the murderer every ti

what's going on now-I mean a

t Daisy and Chandler were alr

to catch a madman than 'tis to run down just an ordinary criminal. And, of course-leastways to my thinking-The

ring eagerly at him. "W

ust the same printed characters as on that bit of paper he always leaves behind him. Mind you, it don't follow that it actually was The

sked Bunting. "That might be

post anything-criminals do. It stands to reason they would. B

?" said Bunting. "

k up against him any

ay peculiar-looking-in

oman as says she saw h

hesita

ell! In a case like that it's groping-groping in the dark all the time-and it's just a lucky accident if

give you my word, I've hardly thought

ned her in the passage she was listening, with

was a nice little house, close to the park. He was asking her whether she could manage to come

-a regular old maid! And, you see, Mr. Chandler, when I'm staying with them, father don't like for me to do anything that E

round Mrs. Bunting. But, Miss Daisy"-he grew very red-

ly. "There's father close to us, Mr.

id just now, that you've never w

cheek. "No," she said sadly. "No, Mr. Chandler, that I have not."

dler smiled,