130 FRUIT RAXCIIIXG. 



found the Chief of the Provincial Pohce for the Nelson 

 district, with a new, blood-stained razor in his hand, 

 and two young bloodhounds snifTing about the yard. 



" You had a visit last night from a young man ? " 

 he began, and then he went on to describe him. 



"We found him," he told me, "at one o'clock 

 this morning, not far from the C\P.R. shipyards, 

 with his throat cut, and I have just picked up this 

 razor near the big rock." (This was a quarter of a 

 mile from our house, and half a mile from the spot 

 where the man was found.) 



" And is he dead? " I asked. 



" Yes," said Mr. Dcvitt. " He was dead — stone 

 dead— when we found him. His head was almost 

 severed from his body, and he lay in quite a pool 

 of blood. It looks like a most determined case of 

 suicide, though it might be murder. I just want to 

 make sure. Was the man alone when he came to 

 you?" 



" Yes, so far as I know. I did not see or hear 

 of anybody being w-ith him." 



" Did he appear to be at all strange? " 



"He appeared to be quite rational and collected; 

 but he made absurd requests. The fact is, I was busy 

 packing fruit, and did not pay much attention to the 

 man's demeanour. Hut he thoroughly frightened my 

 people, and my little boy, who is not at all a timid 

 boy, took his gun to bed with him. And mv gardener, 

 Lawrie, tells me he was watching the man for some 

 time outside. The stranger went backwards and 

 forwards between the house and the gate fully a dozen 

 times. I find he went to the Lawries' door first, and 

 even then Lawrie's suspicions were aroused by the 



