night you must watch the
house!"

"All right," I said, again, strangely impressed by his words. "You may
count on me."

"Thank you," he said. "Remember, we've only you. Good-bye."

Swain's words gave me plenty to think over, and left me so troubled
and uneasy that I made a trip to the top of the ladder to take a look
over Elmhurst. But everything appeared as usual. Perhaps Swain was
right--perhaps it _was_ Silva who was using every minute to increase
his influence; but what could I do? So long as he committed no overt
act, there was no excuse for interference, and Miss Vaughan would
undoubtedly resent it. As Swain had said, there was nothing that I
could do but watch.

Two hours later, just as I was getting up from a dinner to which, in
my perturbed condition, I had done small justice, I heard a ring at
the bell, and presently Mrs. Hargis entered to tell me that there was
a gentleman asking for me. I went out to meet him, and was astonished
to find that it was Simmonds.

"I don't wonder you're surprised," he said, as we sat down. "Fact is,
I'm surprised myself, for I don't know exactly what I'm to do out
here. But Swain, after he got back to his cell, was like a crazy man;
he was sure something dreadful was going to happen to Miss Vaughan if
she stayed in the house with those Hindus. In the end, he got me kind
of scared, too, and made me promise to come out and help you keep
watch. I went down to the _Record_ office and had a talk with Godfrey
before I started. I half expected him to laugh at me; but he seemed to
think I'd better come. The fact is," concluded Simmonds, shifting his
cigar to the other side of his mouth, "he was so serious about it,
that I brought two men along. One of them's patrolling the road in
front of the house, and the other the road along the side. I've
arranged for two others to relieve them at midnight. Now, what's it
all about, anyway?"

"Well," I said, "in the first place, neither Godfrey nor I believes
that Swain strangled that man."

"I can't hardly believe it myself," agreed Simmonds, "for he seems a
nice young feller; but it's a clear case: there's the motive, he was
on the ground, and there's the finger-prints. How can you explain them
away?"

"I can't explain them away. But, just the same, Godfrey believes the
murder was committed by one of those Hindus."

"He intimated something of the sort to me," said Simmonds; "but
there's no evidence against them."

"No," I conceded;