r was said to have
been--more than twice that number of years in Argentina.

Then there was another point: What had called Harry Raynor away so
unexpectedly, and what had so unexpectedly called him back? What was he
doing in Lord St. Ulmer's room this evening? Was his being there merely
a commonplace thing, or was there something between them? More than
that, what was the connection between young Raynor and Margot? How came
she to be writing letters to him, sending her photograph to him? And
what was the explanation of the scrap of pink gauze that was hidden with
the other things in the filled tobacco jar? The scrap of gauze which had
been caught by the nail head in the passage at Gleer Cottage was pink,
the same shade of pink he believed as Raynor's fragment, and neither was
anything like Ailsa Lorne's frock. True, there was no stitchery of
rose-coloured silk upon that fragment Raynor had kept hidden in the
tobacco jar, but that didn't prove that there was none upon the frock
from which it came. It might have been torn from a part that was devoid
of stitchery; and, again, it might not be part of the frock at all. It
might be part of a gauze scarf that was worn with the dress. Women do
wear things like that with evening gowns.

Hum-m-m! Now if the dress which Margot wore was found in time to have
rose-coloured stitchery, and the pattern of that stitchery matched the
pattern on the piece found in Gleer Cottage---- Yes, but what would take
Margot to Gleer Cottage? Certainly it would be to meet a man; but what
man? De Louvisan? But if he had been an Apache and a traitor, he would
have been on his guard, and would make no appointment with her or with
any of her followers.

Then what other man? Lord St. Ulmer, who, on the evidence of his muddy
boots, had been out _somewhere_ last night, or the fellow--whoever he
might prove to be--who had killed the Common keeper and had hidden the
clothing in the General's famous ruin? For, according to that
unfortunate Common keeper, there had been two persons implicated in the
attack upon him. What two? Margot would not fit in with any theory that
implicated Sir Philip Clavering--it would be preposterous to suggest
such a thing--nor did it really seem feasible to connect her with St.
Ulmer either but for the fact of those labels and his own knowledge
that Lovetski had once been a member of the Apaches.

Perplexed with these thoughts, Cleek was almost startled at the sound of
the secon