ituting another instead."

"And whose name, may I ask?"

She bent her head suddenly, and put one hand against her cheek.

"Mine, Mr. Deland."

"_Yours?_... Oho! And not young Cyril's, then?"

"No. Upon that Father was adamant. He said justice must be done to the
elder family--that is Ross and me, as you know--and he would see justice
done. If Ross could not have the rightful inheritance because of his
unfitness (poor Ross!) then it was to come to me, unless I saw fit to
marry Captain Macdonald. In that event it all went to charity.
Naturally, I protested with him."

"Why?"

"Because, don't you see? I hoped he would perhaps relent and leave
Ross's name where it was. The ignominy to the poor boy would have been
so terrible--if he had struck his name out. Ross would never have got
over it--never! He is so proud of his house, so wrapped up in it in
every way."

"And did your father manage to destroy the will then before
it--happened?"

"No. He had it in his hands. I was wrestling with him, trying to get it
away, and Paula had caught me by the shoulders and was endeavouring to
get me away, too, when the lights suddenly went out, and--and came up
again. And there he was in his chair--_dead_!"

"And you say that you heard the sound of the spinning wheel 'humming' in
the darkness? You really did hear that, Miss Duggan?"

"Yes--I would swear to it on my oath."

"And how then did your father die? By what means?"

"By a shot through his temple, I suppose (though he was stabbed as
well)--although there was no noise, Mr. Deland, nothing to tell us that
the awful thing was happening, save the failing of the current at that
moment."

"H'm. I see. A soundless pistol--in fact, an air-gun. Any one in the
house got such a thing, do you know?"

She shook her head.

"Not that I know of, unless ... but he gave his away long ago."

"Who, may I ask?"

She sent suddenly startled eyes up into his face, as though she realized
that she had unguardedly been trapped into a damaging admission.

"Why--why--my brother Ross, Mr. Deland," she said in a hoarse,
frightened voice.

CHAPTER IX

A DOUBLE TRAGEDY

Cleek sat forward in his seat suddenly, every nerve alert at this
somewhat startling piece of news. Oho! So Ross Duggan was the only
person possessing an air-pistol--and the laird had been killed by means
of one, shot through the head in a dastardly fashion. Gad! it certainly
wanted looking into! And the moment