t is Mother Jane."

"God grant you are right," I said, influenced in spite of myself by the
calm assurance of his manner. "If she was at the house night before last
between eleven and twelve, then perhaps she is all you think her. But I
see no reason to believe it--not yet, Mr. Gryce. Supposing you give me
one. It would be better than all this controversy. One small reason, Mr.
Gryce, as good as"--I did not say what, but the fillip it gave to his
intention stood me in good stead, for he launched immediately into the
matter with no further play upon my curiosity, which was now, as you can
believe, thoroughly aroused, though I could not believe that anything he
had to bring up against Mother Jane could for a moment stand against the
death and the burial I had witnessed in Miss Knollys' house during the
two previous nights.

XXIV

THE ENIGMA OF NUMBERS

"When in our first conversation on this topic I told you that Mother
Jane was not to be considered in this matter, I meant she was not to be
considered by you. She was a subject to be handled by the police, and we
have handled her. Yesterday afternoon I made a search of her cabin."
Here Mr. Gryce paused and eyed me quizzically. He sometimes does eye me,
which same I cannot regard as a compliment, considering how fond he is
of concentrating all his wisdom upon small and insignificant objects.

"I wonder," said he, "what you would have done in such a search as that.
It was no common one, I assure you. There are not many hiding-places
between Mother Jane's four walls."

I felt myself begin to tremble, with eagerness, of course.

"I wish I had been given the opportunity," said I--"that is, if anything
was to be found there."

He seemed to be in a sympathetic mood toward me, or perhaps--and this is
the likelier supposition--he had a minute of leisure and thought he
could afford to give himself a little quiet amusement. However that was,
he answered me by saying:

"The opportunity is not lost. You have been in her cabin and have noted,
I have no doubt, its extreme simplicity. Yet it contains, or rather did
contain up till last night, distinct evidences of more than one of the
crimes which have been perpetrated in this lane."

"Good! And you want me to guess where you found them? Well, it's not
fair."

"Ah, and why not?"

"Because you probably did not find them on your first attempt. You had
time to look about. I am asked to guess at once and without second