ries
impenetrable.

At Guy's we were a trifle under-staffed, and my work was consequently
heavy; while, added to that, Sir Bernard was suffering from the
effects of a severe chill, and had not been able to come to town for
nearly a month. Therefore, I had been kept at it practically night and
day, dividing my time between the hospital, Harley Street, and my own
rooms. I saw little of my friend Jevons, for his partner had been
ordered to Bournemouth for his health, and therefore his constant
attendance at his office in Mark Lane was imperative. Ambler had now
but little leisure save on Sundays, when we would usually dine
together at the Cavour, the Globe, the Florence, or some other foreign
restaurant.

Whenever I spoke to him of the tragedy, he would sigh, his face would
assume a puzzled expression, and he would declare that the affair
utterly passed his comprehension. Once or twice he referred to
Ethelwynn, but it struck me that he did not give tongue to what passed
within his mind for fear of offending me. His methods were based on
patience, therefore I often wondered whether he was still secretly at
work upon the case, and if so, whether he had gained any additional
facts. Yet he told me nothing. It was a mystery, he said--that was
all.

Of Ethelwynn I saw but little, making my constant occupation with Sir
Bernard's patients my excuse. She had taken up her abode with Mrs.
Henniker--the cousin at whose house Mary had stayed on the night of
the tragedy. The furniture at Richmond Road had been removed and the
house advertised for sale, young Mrs. Courtenay having moved to her
aunt's house in the country, a few miles from Bath.

On several occasions I had dined at Redcliffe Square, finding both
Mrs. Henniker and her husband extremely agreeable. Henniker was
partner in a big brewing concern at Clapham, and a very good fellow;
while his wife was a middle-aged, fair-haired woman, of the type who
shop of afternoons in High Street, Kensington. Ethelwynn had always
been a particular favourite with both, hence she was a welcome guest
at Redcliffe Square. Old Mr. Courtenay had had business relations with
Henniker a couple of years before, and a slight difference had led to
an open quarrel. For that reason they had not of late visited at Kew.

On the occasions I had spent the evening with Ethelwynn at their house
I had watched her narrowly, yet neither by look nor by action did she
betray any sign of a guilty secret. Her m