le made the girl sit down on a ledge of rock at some distance from
the lead mine, but within sight of it: he himself, while he talked to
her, stood watching the figures grouped about the shaft. Creasy had
evidently succeeded in getting help at once: Neale saw men fixing a
windlass over the mouth of the old mine; saw a man at last disappear
into its depths. And after a long pause he saw from the movements of the
other men that the body had been drawn to the surface and that they were
bending over it. A moment later, Starmidge separated himself from the
rest, and came in Neale's direction. He nodded his head energetically at
Betty as he drew within speaking distance.

"All right, Miss Fosdyke!" he said. "It's not your uncle. But--it's the
other man, Mr. Neale!--no doubt of it!"

"Hollis!" exclaimed Neale.

"It's the man described by Mrs. Pratt and Simmons--that's certain,"
answered the detective. "So there's one mystery settled--though it makes
all the rest stranger than ever. Now, Miss Fosdyke, that'll be some
relief to you--so don't come any nearer. But just spare Mr. Neale a few
minutes--I want to speak to him."

Betty obediently turned back to the ledge of rock, and Neale walked with
Starmidge towards the group around the shaft.

"Can you tell anything?" he asked. "Are there any signs of violence?--I
mean, does it look as if he'd been----"

"Thrown in there?" said the detective calmly. "Ah!--it's a bit early to
decide that. The only thing I'm thinking of now is the fact that this is
Hollis! That's certain, Mr. Neale. Now what could he be doing on this
lonely bit of ground? Where does this track lead?"

"It's a short cut from Scarnham Bridge corner to the middle of
Ellersdeane village," answered Neale, pointing one way and then the
other.

"And Gabriel Chestermarke lives in Ellersdeane, doesn't he?" asked
Starmidge. "Or close by?"

Neale indicated certain chimneys rising amongst the trees on the far
side of the Hollow. "He lives there--The Warren," he replied.

"Um!" mused Starmidge. "I wonder if this poor fellow was making his way
there--to see him?"

"How should he--a stranger--know of this short cut?" demurred Neale. "I
don't think that's very likely."

"That's true--unless he'd had it pointed out to him," rejoined
Starmidge. "It's odd, anyway, that his body should be found half-way, as
it were, between Gabriel Chestermarke's place and Joseph Chestermarke's
house--isn't it now? But, Lord bless you!--w