ty in getting on to his tracks again."

Rolfe departed, to do his chief's bidding, a little crestfallen. He was
at first inclined to think that he had made a bit of a fool of himself in
his desire to prove to Inspector Chippenfield that he had been hoodwinked
by Hill into arresting Birchill. But that night, as he sat in his bedroom
smoking a quiet pipe, and reviewing this latest phase of the puzzling
case, the earlier doubts which had assailed him on first learning of
Hill's flight recurred to him with increasing force. If Hill were
innocent he would have been more likely to seek police protection before
flight. Hill's flight was hardly the action of an innocent man. It
pointed more to a guilty fear of his own skin, now that the man he had
accused of the murder was free to seek vengeance. Chippenfield's theory
seemed plausible enough at first sight, but Rolfe now recalled that he
knew nothing of the missing letters and Hill's midnight visit to
Riversbrook to recover them. Rolfe had concealed that episode from his
superior officer because he lacked the courage to reveal to him how he
had been hoodwinked by Mrs. Holymead's fainting fit the morning he was
conducting his official inquiry at Riversbrook into the murder.

"It's an infernally baffling case," muttered Rolfe, refilling his pipe
from a tin of tobacco on the mantelpiece, and walking up and down the
cheap lodging-house drugget with rapid strides. "If Birchill is not the
murderer who is? Is it Hill?"

He lit his pipe, closed the window, opened his pocket-book and sat down
to peruse the notes he had taken during his investigation of Sir Horace
Fewbanks's murder. He read and re-read them, earnestly searching for a
fresh clue in the pencilled pages. After spending some time in this
occupation he took a clean sheet of paper and a pencil, and copied afresh
the following entries from his notebook:

August 19. Went Riversbrook. Saw Sir H.F.'s body. Discovered fragment of
lady's handkerchief clenched in right hand.

August 22. Made inquiries handkerchief. Unable find where purchased.

September 8. Found Hill at Riversbrook searching Sir H.F.'s papers. Told
me about bundle of lady's letters tied up with pink ribbon which had been
taken from secret drawer. Says they disappeared morning after murder when
investigation was taking place. C.'s visitors that day: Dr. Slingsby /
Seldon to arrange inquest / newspaper men / undertaker's representatives
/ Crewe. C. saw one visito