eatrice gave a sudden
sob of relief, for she had forgotten Berrington altogether in the
tension of the moment. He stood there erect and upright, his face pale
with anger and his eyes blazing like stars.

Sartoris burst out furiously and impatiently----

"Damnation!" he screamed. "I had clean forgotten all about this fellow.
His very existence had passed altogether out of my mind."

"Then your memory is very short and very convenient," Berrington said.
"It is not so very long ago that my presence in the house was
exceedingly convenient to you."

"You saved my life for what it is worth," Sartoris growled sullenly.

"Well, it may be worth a great deal to the police," Berrington retorted.
"I saved your life, which was perhaps a foolish thing to do, especially
as you had made preparations to sacrifice mine for so doing. Whilst your
hands have been so full, I have been making investigations in the house.
Really, I have been very well repaid for my trouble."

Sartoris started and looked up uneasily. For once his ready tongue
failed him.

"Perhaps you had better be a little more explicit," he said.

"Time enough for that, presently. My first discovery was in connection
with the dining-room fireplace. I fancy you know what I mean. The next
item was connected with the stairs. You murderous dog, so that was the
trap you laid for me. I was not to go until you had seen me again. I was
to stay for the sake of your sister. Well, I am glad that I obeyed now.
But my little discoveries did not end here. Mrs. Richford, what is
this?"

Berrington held out a strip of soiled linen and Beatrice took it in her
hand.

"It looks like a collar," she said. "It is a collar. If you have made a
discovery, Colonel Berrington, I have made another. This collar belongs
to my father; I marked it for him in some new ink that does not want
heating. Melanyl, I think they call it. It was one of a set of a dozen
collars and I marked them all, the day of that fatal dinner party. You
see that, as my father had had no valet of late----"

"You acted in his stead," Berrington said eagerly; "when did you mark
this?"

"About half-past four on the day of the dinner party."

"Not long before your father went up to dress for dinner, I suppose?"

"Yes, it would be about that time. After marking the collars that had
just come from the makers, I placed them in father's wardrobe in his
bedroom."

"Then this is the very collar that he wore for the dinner p