ow-sill and within easy reach therefrom, was the
dovecote in question. He put in his hand, and slowly drew out four
stiff, cold, feathered little bodies, and laid them on the
dressing-table before her; then, while she was grieving over them, he
groped round in all corners of the cote and drew forth still another.

"Five?" she exclaimed in surprise. "Five? Oh, but there should be only
four, Mr. Headland. It is true that George brought over all six the day
before; but I 'flew' one to him in the early morning, and I 'flew' a
second at night, with the message about the belt; so there should be but
four."

"Oh, well, possibly one was 'flown' by him to you, and it 'homed'
without your knowledge."

[Illustration: SWINGING THE HAMMER, HE STRUCK AT THE NYMPH WITH A FORCE
THAT SHATTERED THE MONSTROUS THING TO ATOMS]

"Yes, but it couldn't get inside the wired enclosure unassisted, Mr.
Headland. See! that spring door has to be opened when it is 'returned'
to the cote after it has carried its message home. You see, I trained
them, by feeding them in here, to come into this room when they were
flown back to me. They always flew directly in if the window was
opened, or gave warning of their presence by fluttering about and
beating against the panes if the sash was closed. And for a fifth pigeon
to be inside the enclosure--I can't understand the thing at all. Oh, Mr.
Headland, do you think it is anything in the nature of a clue?"

"It may be," he replied evasively. "Clues are funny things, Miss
Morrison; you never know when you may pick one up, nor how. I shouldn't
say anything to anybody about this fifth pigeon, if I were you. Let that
be our secret for awhile; and if your father wants to know why I sent
for you to come up here again just say I have discovered that your
pigeons are dead for want of food." And for a moment or two, after she
had closed the door and gone below again, he stood looking at Mr. Narkom
and slowly rubbing his thumb and forefinger up and down his chin. Then,
of a sudden:

"I think, Mr. Narkom, we can fairly decide, on the evidence of that
fifth pigeon, that George Carboys left this room voluntarily," returned
Cleek; "that the bird brought him a message of such importance it was
necessary to leave this house at once, and that, not wishing to leave it
unlocked while he was absent, and not--because of the captain's
inability to get back upstairs afterward--having anybody to whom he
could appeal to get up a