ve suddenly.

"Me spend him with blother at Exeter."

"Where, in Exeter?"

"Flog Stleet."

"What time did you leave this house?"

"P'laps 'leven o'clock, sometime."

"Was it raining?"

"Yes, velly much lain."

"You did not go to bed, then?"

"No, no go to bed, go Exeter."

The Sergeant looked at him sternly. "Your bed was not made this morning.
You are lying to me."

"No, no lie. Bed not made flom day before. I make him myself."

The detective turned to Major Temple. "Is this fellow telling the
truth?" he asked. "Does he make his own bed?"

"Yes," replied the Major. "The other servants refused to have anything
to do with him. They are afraid to enter his room. He cares for it
himself."

"What did you do in Exeter?" asked McQuade.

"P'laps talkee some, smokee some, eatee some--play fantan--bimby sleep."

"What's the matter with your hand?" asked the detective suddenly.

"Me cuttee hand, bloken bottle--Exeter."

"What kind of a bottle?"

"Whiskey bottle," answered Li Min, with a childlike smile.

McQuade turned away with a gesture of impatience. "There's no use
questioning this fellow any further," he growled. "He knows a great deal
more about this affair than he lets on, but there's no way to get it out
of him, short of the rack and thumb-screw. Do any of the other servants
sleep near him? Perhaps they may know whether or not he left the house
last night. Who attends to locking the house up?"

"I have always trusted Li Min," said Major Temple. "He sleeps in a small
room on the third floor of the east wing, which has a back stairway to
the ground floor. The other house servants sleep on the second floor of
the rear extension, over the kitchen and pantries. My daughter generally
sees to the locking up of the house."

"Did she do so last night?"

"No. I did so myself. I locked the rear entrance before I retired
shortly before midnight."

"After Mr. Ashton had left you to retire?"

"Immediately after."

"Then, if Li Min had left the house by that time, you would not have
known it?"

"No, I should not. I heard no sounds in the servants' quarters and
presumed they had retired. I sat up with Mr. Ashton, discussing various
matters until quite late--perhaps for two hours or more after dinner."

"You were alone?"

"Yes, both my daughter and Mr. Morgan had retired some time before."

"Did you have any quarrel with Mr. Ashton before he left you?"

Major Temple glanced at me with a slight fro