is," replied Dick, lowering his voice in spite of the fact
that all three were alone. "They're saying in the town that you know
something which you won't tell about that affair last week. It's being
talked of."

Ransford laughed--a little cynically.

"Are you quite sure, my boy, that they aren't saying that I daren't
tell?" he asked. "Daren't is a much more likely word than won't, I
think."

"Well--about that, sir," acknowledged Dick. "Comes to that, anyhow."

"And what are their grounds?" inquired Ransford. "You've heard them,
I'll be bound!"

"They say that man--Braden--had been here--here, to the house!--that
morning, not long before he was found dead," answered Dick. "Of course,
I said that was all bosh!--I said that if he'd been here and seen you,
I'd have heard of it, dead certain."

"That's not quite so dead certain, Dick, as that I have no knowledge of
his ever having been here," said Ransford. "But who says he came here?"

"Mrs. Deramore," replied Dick promptly. "She says she saw him go
away from the house and across the Close, a little before ten. So Jim
Deramore says, anyway--and he says his mother's eyes are as good as
another's."

"Doubtless!" assented Ransford. He looked at Mary again, and saw that
she was keeping hers fixed on her plate. "Well," he continued, "if it
will give you any satisfaction, Dick, you can tell the gossips that Dr.
Ransford never saw any man, Braden or anybody else, at his house that
morning, and that he never exchanged a word with Braden. So much for
that! But," he added, "you needn't expect them to believe you. I know
these people--if they've got an idea into their heads they'll ride it to
death. Nevertheless, what I say is a fact."

Dick presently went off--and once more Ransford looked at Mary. And this
time, Mary had to meet her guardian's inquiring glance.

"Have you heard anything of this?" he asked.

"That there was a rumour--yes," she replied without hesitation.
"But--not until just now--this morning."

"Who told you of it?" inquired Ransford.

Mary hesitated. Then she remembered that Mr. Folliot, at any rate, had
not bound her to secrecy.

"Mr. Folliot," she replied. "He called me into his garden, to give me
those roses, and he mentioned that Mrs. Deramore had said these things
to Mrs. Folliot, and as he seemed to think it highly probable that Mrs.
Folliot would repeat them, he told me because he didn't want you to
think that the rumour had originally aris