ffairs. I sent for
him to-day. And the rest of the household?"

"Cyril is with his mother. Wakened up out of his sleep, poor boy, by all
the commotion, and of course hardly aware yet of what a terrible tragedy
has happened here in his own home. The servants are huddled together
like frightened rabbits, and the women refuse to put in any appearance
at all. Miss McCall has been trying to get them in hand--she's so quiet
and yet so resourceful, you know, Mr. Deland--and she has helped us such
a lot in that way."

"And that accounts for every one, then? No one left the house since
the--the thing took place?"

"Not a soul. There was no reason to, you see. And no one has been here,
either. Callers to Aygon Castle are few and far between, Mr. Deland, as
you can imagine. We're so very far from civilization."

"I see. And no one's been to the place at all, you say? Beyond the
immediate family, and this Miss--Miss Dowd and your brother's fiancee?
They returned with him, I suppose, after having persuaded him not to
take such a foolhardy view of the case which I heard this morning? Well,
I'm glad he came back, if only--for this. Poor chap! it will ease his
conscience, at any rate. And those are the only people who have entered
this place to-night, Miss Duggan? You are positive of that?"

She lifted wide eyes to his face. There was conviction in every line of
her own.

"Absolutely positive, Mr. Deland."

"Well, that's all right, then." Cleek nodded slowly at her but his lips
were grim. Either _she_ or Macdonald had lied. For he had heard him say,
in that broken, staccato voice of his, "I've just--come from there, you
see, and was on my way home again." And a dollar to a ducat that _she_
was not at fault. Well, the man Macdonald would want watching. And if he
_had_ "done a bunk," as the boys say, he would know his man instantly
and scout all Britain over for him--though at present his motive for
connection with the crime was certainly unknown.

He sent his keen eyes over her wan face, and came to his own
conclusions. Here was no liar, if he knew the signs. Then he leaned
toward her.

"Now," said he, "just tell me--what happened. All about it. Don't leave
anything out--not the veriest little thing. How did you all happen to be
in the library in the first place?"

"As I told you, Father had summoned us all there for the purpose of
disinheriting Ross by crossing his name from his will, and in the
presence of witnesses subst