-ell--yes, sir; that's about it, I guess."

"Did Miss Brace tell you she was coming to Sloanehurst?"

"No, sir. I suspected it."

"And watched her movements?"

"Yes, sir."

"And followed her?"

"Yes."

"Why did you think she was in love with Mr. Webster, Mr. Russell? And
please give us a direct answer. You can understand the importance of
what you're about to say."

"I do. I thought so because she had told me that he was in love with
her, and because of her grief and anger when he dismissed her from his
office. And she did everything to make me think so, except declaring it
outright. She did that because she knew I hated to think she was in love
with him."

"All right, Mr. Russell. Now, tell us what happened during
your--ah--shadowing Miss Brace the night she was killed."

"I got off the car at Ridgecrest and walked toward Sloanehurst. It was
raining then, pretty hard. I thought she had made an appointment to
meet Mr. Webster somewhere in the grounds here. It was a quarter to
eleven when I got to the little side-gate that opens on the lawn out
there on the north side of the house."

"How did you know that?"

"I looked at my watch then. It's got a luminous dial."

"You were then at the gate near where she was found, dead?"

"Yes. And she was at the gate."

"Oh! So you saw her?"

"I saw her. When I lifted the latch of the gate, she came toward me.
There was a heavy drizzle then. I thought she had been leaning on the
fence a few feet away. She whispered, sharp and quick, 'Who's that?' I
knew who she was, right off. I said, 'Gene.'

"She caught hold of my arm and shook it. She told me, still whispering,
if I didn't get away from there, if I didn't go back to town, she'd
raise an alarm, accuse me of trying to kill her--or she'd kill me. She
pressed something against my cheek. It felt like a knife, although I
couldn't see, for the darkness."

The witness paused and licked his dry lips. He was breathing fast, and
his restless eyes had a hunted look. The people in the room leaned
farther toward him, some believing, some doubting him.

Hastings thought: "He's scared stiff, but telling the truth--so far."

"All right; what next?" asked Dr. Garnet, involuntarily lowering his
voice to Russell's tone.

"I accused her of having an appointment to meet Webster there. I got
mad. I hate to have to tell all this, gentlemen; but I want to tell the
truth. I told her she was a fool to run after a man who'd thrown