me grimly.

"To whom do you suppose you are indebted for the telephone trick?" he
asked. "Besides--Blythe, the fool, actually heard the car at the
moment that it came out on to the highroad! Oh, they bungled the
thing villainously. My Marathon feat saved your life, Mr. Addison, but
it looks like losing me the case! We have the Hawkins couple. But,
although a graceless pair, they were more dupes than knaves. I am
convinced, personally, that neither of them suspected that Lady
Burnham Coverly was dead. Damar Greefe had represented to them that
she had lost her reason."

"Good heavens! what a scheme!"

"What a scheme, indeed. Hawkins seems to have considered that his
duty--which was merely to keep intruders out of the park--was dictated
by necessity. He thought that if Lady Coverly's real condition became
known she would be removed to a madhouse! He also thought that a
_nurse_ was in attendance."

"A nurse!"

"Yes. He assured me that he had heard and seen her! Mrs. Hawkins also
was certain on the point. Neither of them were ever allowed in the
house, by the way. But Damar Greefe paid them well--and they were
satisfied. The identity of the 'nurse' is evident, I think?"

"Perfectly evident. But how was poor Lady Coverly disposed of--and why
this elaborate secrecy?"

"Well," replied Gatton slowly--"out of the multitude of notes which I
have compiled upon the case, I have worked out a sort of summary, and
it amounts to this: The whole series of outrages turns upon something
in the financial arrangements of the late Sir Burnham of benefit to
the Eurasian doctor. It may be that Damar Greefe had some secret
locked up in the Bell House which he could not very well remove, and
that the greatest peril he feared was the taking over of the Park
property by an heir. I assume he had complete authority over the late
Lady Burnham; and his object in concealing her death (for our
investigations at Friar's Park have definitely established the fact
that no one had resided there for twelve months at least) was clearly
this: he hoped to carry on the pretense of attending upon the invalid
until--"

"Until there was no heir to the property remaining alive!" I
interrupted excitedly. "Exactly, Gatton! That is my own theory, too!

"We have now received," continued the Inspector, "some particulars
concerning the circumstances of Roger Coverly's death in Basle. Whilst
there was no direct evidence of foul play (and at that time at any
rat