ng round of books reaching thus
thirty feet or more above the head was made by the two doors already
spoken of and a narrow strip of wall at either end of the space occupied
by the windows. No furniture was to be seen there except a couple of
stalls taken from some old cathedral, which stood in the two bare places
just mentioned.

But within, on the extensive floor-space, several articles were grouped,
and Violet, recognizing the possibilities which any one of them afforded
for the concealment of so small an object as a folded document, decided
to use method in her search, and to that end, mentally divided the space
before her into four segments.

The first took in the door, communicating with the suite ending in Mr.
Brooks's bedroom. A diagram of this segment will show that the only
article of furniture in it was a cabinet.

It was at this cabinet Miss Strange made her first stop.

"You have looked this well through?" she asked as she bent over the
glass case on top to examine the row of mediaeval missals displayed
within in a manner to show their wonderful illuminations.

"Not the case," explained Hetty. "It is locked you see and no one has as
yet succeeded in finding the key. But we searched the drawers underneath
with the greatest care. Had we sifted the whole contents through our
fingers, I could not be more certain that the paper is not there."

Violet stepped into the next segment.

This was the one dominated by the huge fire-place. A rug lay before the
hearth. To this Violet pointed.

Quickly the woman answered: "We not only lifted it, but turned it over."

"And that box at the right?"

"Is full of wood and wood only."

"Did you take out this wood?"

"Every stick."

"And those ashes in the fire-place? Something has been burned there."

"Yes; but not lately. Besides, those ashes are all wood ashes. If the
least bit of charred paper had been mixed with them, we should have
considered the matter settled. But you can see for yourself that no such
particle can be found." While saying this, she had put the poker into
Violet's hand. "Rake them about, Miss, and make sure."

Violet did so, with the result that the poker was soon put back into
place, and she herself down on her knees looking up the chimney.

"Had she thrust it up there," Hetty made haste to remark, "there would
have been some signs of soot on her sleeves. They are white and very
long and are always getting in her way when she tries to d