"And you may be right," Mr. Gryce went on. "I do not pretend to be set
in my notions. Future investigation may succeed in fixing something upon
him; though I hardly think it likely. His behavior as the secret husband
of a woman possessing motives for the commission of a crime has been too
consistent throughout."

"All except his leaving her."

"No exception at all; for he hasn't left her."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that, instead of leaving the country, Mr. Clavering has only
made pretence of doing so. That, in place of dragging himself off to
Europe at her command, he has only changed his lodgings, and can now be
found, not only in a house opposite to hers, but in the window of that
house, where he sits day after day watching who goes in and out of her
front door."

I remembered his parting injunction to me, in that memorable interview
we had in my office, and saw myself compelled to put a new construction
upon it.

"But I was assured at the Hoffman House that he had sailed for Europe,
and myself saw the man who professes to have driven him to the steamer."

"Just so."

"And Mr. Clavering returned to the city after that?"

"In another carriage, and to another house."

"And you tell me that man is all right?"

"No; I only say there isn't the shadow of evidence against him as the
person who shot Mr. Leavenworth."

Rising, I paced the floor, and for a few minutes silence fell between
us. But the clock, striking, recalled me to the necessity of the hour,
and, turning, I asked Mr. Gryce what he proposed to do now.

"There is but one thing I can do," said he.

"And that is?"

"To go upon such lights as I have, and cause the arrest of Miss
Leavenworth."

I had by this time schooled myself to endurance, and was able to hear
this without uttering an exclamation. But I could not let it pass
without making one effort to combat his determination.

"But," said I, "I do not see what evidence you have, positive enough in
its character, to warrant extreme measures. You have yourself intimated
that the existence of motive is not enough, even though taken with
the fact of the suspected party being in the house at the time of the
murder; and what more have you to urge against Miss Leavenworth?"

"Pardon me. I said 'Miss Leavenworth'; I should have said 'Eleanore
Leavenworth.'"

"Eleanore? What! when you and all unite in thinking that she alone of
all these parties to the crime is utterly guiltless of wrong