The first to leave was Mr. Charles
Pitt; he locked up his studio and, as usual, took his key into the
caretaker's room.
"He had just opened the door when an icy blast literally struck him in
the face; both the windows were wide open, and the snow and sleet were
beating thickly into the room, forming already a white carpet upon the
floor.
"The room was in semi-obscurity, and at first Mr. Pitt saw nothing, but
instinctively realizing that something was wrong, he lit a match, and
saw before him the spectacle of that awful and mysterious tragedy which
has ever since puzzled both police and public. On the floor, already
half covered by the drifting snow, lay the body of Mrs. Owen face
downwards, in a nightgown, with feet and ankles bare, and these and her
hands were of a deep purple colour; whilst in a corner of the room,
huddled up with the cold, the body of the cockatoo lay stark and stiff."
CHAPTER XXXV
SUICIDE OR MURDER?
"At first there was only talk of a terrible accident, the result of some
inexplicable carelessness which perhaps the evidence at the inquest
would help to elucidate.
"Medical assistance came too late; the unfortunate woman was indeed
dead, frozen to death, inside her own room. Further examination showed
that she had received a severe blow at the back of the head, which must
have stunned her and caused her to fall, helpless, beside the open
window.
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