have found that Krill had killed the woman, and then have
made him give up the brooch, which he afterwards pawned at Stowley.
Though why he should go near Mrs. Krill's old home, I can't understand."

"Is Stowley near her old home?"

"Yes--in Buckinghamshire. However, after pawning the brooch I expect
Jessop lost sight of Krill till he must have come across him a few days
before the crime. Then he must have made Krill sign the paper ordering
the jewels to be given up by Pash, so that he might get money."

"A kind of blackmail in fact."

"Well," said Hurd, doubtfully, "after all, Jessop might have killed
Krill himself."

"But how did Jessop get the brooch?"

"Ah, that I can't tell you, unless Norman himself picked it up in the
street. We must find these things out. I'm going to Christchurch to
make inquiries. I'll let you know what I discover," and Hurd rose.

"One minute," said Paul, hastily. "Do you think Miss Krill is the dead
man's child?"

"Of course. She's as like her mother as two peas. Why do you ask?"

Paul detailed what Sylvia and Deborah had said. "So if she is over
thirty," said Beecot, "she can't be Krill's child, or else she must have
been born before Krill married his wife. In either case, she has no
right to the money."

"It's strange," said Hurd, musingly. "I'll have to look into that.
Meanwhile, I've got plenty to do."

"There's another thing I have to say."

"You'll confuse me, Beecot. What is it?"

"The sugar and that hawker," and Paul related what Sylvia had said about
Thuggism. Hurd sat down and stared. "That must be bosh," he said,
looking at the novel, "and yet it's mighty queer. I say," he took the
three volumes, "will you lend me these?"

"Yes. Be careful. They are not mine."

"I'll be careful. But I can't dip into them just yet, nor can I go into
the Hindoo business, let alone this age of Miss Krill. The first thing I
have to do is to go to Christchurch and see--"

"And see if Mrs. Krill was at home on the night of the sixth of July."

Hurd started. "Oh," said he, dryly, "the night the crime was committed,
you mean? Well, I didn't intend to look up that point, as I do not see
how Mrs. Krill can be implicated. However, I'll take a note of that,"
and this he did, and then continued. "But I'm anxious to find Jessop. I
shouldn't be at all surprised to learn that he committed the double
crime."

"The double crime?"

"Yes. He might have strangled Lady Rachel, and twenty years