widely sometimes."

"Then you have reason to believe that the enemy of this poor fellow
Santini may be your enemy also?"

"One never knows whom one offends when living in Italy," I laughed, as
lightly as I could, endeavoring to allay his suspicion. "He may have
fallen beneath the assassin's knife by giving quite a small and possibly
innocent offense to somebody. Italian methods are not English, you
know."

"By Jove, sir, and I'm jolly glad they're not!" he said. "I shouldn't
think a police officer's life is a very safe one among all those secret
murder societies I've read about."

"Ah! what you read about them is often very much exaggerated," I assured
him. "It is the vendetta which is such a stain upon the character of the
modern Italian; and depend upon it this affair in Rannoch Wood is the
outcome of some revenge or other--probably over a love affair."

"But you will assist us, sir?" he urged. "You know the Italian language,
which will be of great advantage; besides, the victim was your servant."

"Be discreet," I said. "And in return I will do my very utmost to assist
you in hunting down the assassin."

And thus we made our compact. Half-an-hour after I was driving in the
dog-cart through the pouring rain up the hill out of gray old Dumfries
to my uncle's house.

As I descended from the cart and gave it over to a groom, old Davis, the
butler, came forward, saying in a low voice:

"There's Miss Leithcourt waiting to see you, Mr. Gordon. She's in the
morning-room, and been there an hour. She asked me not to tell anyone
else she's here, sir."

"Then my aunt has not seen her?" I exclaimed, scenting mystery in this
unexpected visit.

"No, sir. She wishes to see you alone, sir."

I walked across the big hall and along the corridor to the room the old
man had indicated.

And as I opened the door and Muriel Leithcourt in plain black rose to
meet me, I plainly saw from her white, haggard countenance that
something had happened--that she had been forced by circumstances to
come to me in strictest confidence.

Was she, I wondered, about to reveal to me the truth?

CHAPTER VI

THE GATHERING OF THE CLOUDS

"Mr. Gregg," exclaimed the girl with agitation, as she put forth her
black-gloved hand, "I--I suppose you know--you've heard all about the
discovery to-day up at the wood? I need not tell you anything about it"

"Yes, Miss Leithcourt, I only wish you would tell me about it," I said
gravely, invi