led himself?" asked Mrs. Calladine. "Just
now?"

"It was about two hours ago. I happened to come here,"--he half-turned
to Beverley and explained--"I was coming to see you, Bill, and I arrived
just after the--the death. Mr. Cayley and I found the body. Mr. Cayley
being busy just now--there are police and doctors and so on in the
house--he asked me to tell you. He says that no doubt you would prefer,
the house-party having been broken up in this tragic way, to leave as
soon as possible." He gave a pleasant apologetic little smile and went
on, "I am putting it badly, but what he means, of course, is that you
must consult your own feelings in the matter entirely, and please make
your own arrangements about ordering the car for whatever train you wish
to catch. There is one this evening, I understand, which you could go by
if you wished it."

Bill gazed with open mouth at Antony. He had no words in his vocabulary
to express what he wanted to say, other than those the Major had
already used. Betty was leaning across to Miss Norris and saying, "Who's
killed?" in an awe-struck voice, and Miss Norris, who was instinctively
looking as tragic as she looked on the stage when a messenger announced
the death of one of the cast, stopped for a moment in order to explain.
Mrs. Calladine was quietly mistress of herself.

"We shall be in the way, yes, I quite understand," she said; "but we
can't just shake the dust of the place off our shoes because something
terrible has happened there. I must see Mark, and we can arrange later
what to do. He must know how very deeply we feel for him. Perhaps we--"
she hesitated.

"The Major and I might be useful anyway," said Bill. "Isn't that what
you mean, Mrs. Calladine?"

"Where is Mark?" said the Major suddenly, looking hard at Antony.

Antony looked back unwaveringly--and said nothing.

"I think," said the Major gently, leaning over to Mrs. Calladine, "that
it would be better if you took Betty back to London to-night."

"Very well," she agreed quietly. "You will come with us, Ruth?"

"I'll see you safely there," said Bill in a meek voice. He didn't quite
know what was happening, and, having expected to stay at the Red House
for another week, he had nowhere to go to in London, but London seemed
to be the place that everyone was going to, and when he could get Tony
alone for a moment, Tony no doubt would explain.

"Cayley wants you to stay, Bill. You have to go anyhow, to-morrow, Major