murder, her
subsequent silence after the recovery of the brooch and the handkerchief
and the revolver in her mother's rooms, remained as suspicious as
before, but the changed motive caused these points to assume a different
complexion, even to the extent of suggesting that she might be a lesser
participant in the crime, perhaps keeping silence in order to shield the
greater criminal.

Merrington, stiff-necked in his officialism, had been unable to see this
changed aspect of the case, and, strong in his presumption of the girl's
guilt, had acted with impulsive indiscretion in going to see Nepcote
before attempting to trace the missing necklace.

Colwyn's reflections were interrupted by the appearance of the porter
from downstairs to announce a visitor. The visitor, partly obscured
behind the burly frame of the porter in the doorway, was Detective
Caldew, of Scotland Yard. Colwyn had met him at various times, and
invited him to enter. As Colwyn had once said, his feelings towards all
the members of the regular detective force were invariably friendly; it
was not their fault, but the fault of human nature, that they were
sometimes jealous of him. So he made Caldew welcome, and offered him a
cigar.

Caldew accepted the cigar and the proffered seat a little nervously. His
was the type of temperament which is overawed in the presence of a more
successful practitioner in the same line of business. He had long envied
Colwyn his dazzling successes, but at the same time he had sufficient
intelligence to understand that many of those successes stood in a class
which he could never hope to attain.

At the present moment, Caldew's feelings were divided between resentment
at Colwyn's action in conveying information to Scotland Yard which had
earned him a reprimand from Superintendent Merrington, and the anxious
desire to ascertain what the famous private detective thought of the
Heredith case.

"Merrington has sent me round for the copy of the depositions he lent
you yesterday." It was thus he announced the object of his visit. "Have
you finished with it?"

It was apparent from this statement that Superintendent Merrington's
gratitude for information received might now be considered as past
history. Colwyn, reflecting that it had lasted as long as that feeling
usually does, congratulated himself on his forethought in having made a
copy of the report. He handed the copy before him to his visitor.

"I am obliged for the loan o