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Whilst she was gone the man and the woman brought him into the

house and, setting him on the stairs, went away; and presently I

came down and not seeing him, for I was in the dark, stumbled

over him and he fell to the foot of the staircase and died on the

moment. Then we took him up, I and my wife, and carried him on to

the top terrace; and, the house of this Reeve being next door to

mine, we let the body down through the ventilator. When he came

home and found the Hunchback in his house, he fancied he was a

thief and struck him with a hammer, so that he fell to the

ground, and our neighbour made certain that he had slain him.