obody else, murdered Mrs. Heredith."

"I am not attempting to controvert your theory or contradict your
facts," rejoined Colwyn coldly. "My visit is to bring under your notice
a fresh fact in the case which needs investigation. Whether that fact
squares with your own theory or not, it is too important to be
disregarded or overlooked. That is why I left the moat-house immediately
I discovered it. I felt that you had been ignorantly misled, and that it
was only right you should be told without delay."

Merrington was conscious of that evanescent feeling which men call
gratitude. His impulse of thankfulness towards the man opposite him was
all the keener for the realization that he would not have acted so
generously if he had been in Colwyn's place. But his gratitude was
speedily swallowed up by the knowledge that he had been led astray, and
his anger was mingled with the determination to find a scapegoat.

"I am obliged to you for your information, although I do not attach
quite so much importance to it as you do," was his careful rejoinder.
"But I certainly blame Detective Caldew for not finding it out before
you did. He made the original inquiries at the moat-house, and he seems
to have made them very carelessly. He said nothing to the Chief
Constable of Sussex or myself, when we arrived, about a jewel-case,
locked or open."

"He didn't know himself."

"It was his duty to inquire. When he assured us, on the authority of
Miss Heredith, that nothing was missing, I naturally assumed that he had
made the proper inquiries. But I thank you for letting me know, and I
shall, of course, have investigations made. But I should like to know
why young Heredith interfered and brought you into the case?"

"For one thing, he has a strong belief in Hazel Rath's innocence."

"Mere sentiment," replied Merrington contemptuously. "Perhaps he's still
sweet on the girl."

"There is more than that in it. There's the question of the revolver. Of
course you are aware that he identified the revolver with which his wife
was shot as the property of Captain Nepcote, a guest at the moat-house
who left on the afternoon of the day on which Mrs. Heredith was
murdered. Heredith does not accept your theory of the way in which Hazel
Rath is supposed to have obtained the revolver. He does not think that
Nepcote left the revolver behind him at the moat-house. He told Caldew
this, but Caldew said the ownership of the revolver was a matter of no
conse