light, nimb fingers. "Gad! yes! A stiletto--and a South American one at
that! See the curiously square blade? If that isn't the identical
instrument that stabbed Sir Andrew's breast, I'll eat my hat! Miss Dowd,
you have brought me a clue which may lead to the tracing of the murderer
himself--or one of 'em, as there must have been two. Now, tell exactly
the circumstances in which you found it, and why you kept the fact
hidden until now?"

She came a little nearer to him and leaned against the edge of the
desk-top, a sort of secretive nonchalance in her attitude.

"I don't say everything I know, Mr. Deland," she said smoothly. "For a
person who tells everything he knows leaves nothing within to show that
he has anything of interest left for the next person who comes along. It
was shortly after the tragedy had taken place. Everything, as of course
you know, was absolutely in confusion. People rushing about here, there,
and everywhere, as though they had gone mad, which indeed they must
surely have done in such tragic circumstances. I was as bad as the rest,
and with Cynthia searched the room for any clues or anything which might
lead to the tracing of the murderer. I had just gone to the open window
and----"

"Oho!" said Cleek in two different tones, "so the window was open, was
it?"

"Yes--about halfway up from the bottom. The centre one, Mr. Deland.
Someone had asked me to shut it--it was Ross, I think, poor distracted
boy!--which I immediately proceeded to do, and brushed against the
curtains--the big green plush ones which hang at the outer edges of the
bay window--when something clattered lightly to the floor. Cynthia was
at the other side, looking out into the darkness, everyone else was
occupied with Sir Andrew himself, so I bent down quickly and picked the
thing up. And there it is."

Yes, there it undoubtedly was. And undoubtedly too, the weapon which had
stabbed Sir Andrew so cruelly, if Cleek knew aught of such things. He
frowned a moment over it, and then looked up into Miss Dowd's dark face
through narrowed lids.

"And you know to whom it belongs?"

"I cannot say for certain, but I fancy it is Lady Paula's. She had one
similar, I know, but whether it is the same one I am not prepared to
say."

"Showing yourself a very wise young lady," put in Cleek with a smile.

She acknowledged the compliment gracefully.

"And that you are a very gallant gentleman, Mr. Deland--in spite of your
somewhat unusual