dress-studs that somebody found in his dressing-room. Crane,
the valet, says they tossed for them."

"Disgraceful!" I ejaculated. "Then as soon as the host and hostess had
gone, they simply swept through the rooms and cleared them?"

"Yes, sir. They took away all that was most valuable. They'd have had
the silver, only Mason had thrown it into the plate-chest, all dirty as
it was, locked it up and hid the key. The plate was Mr. Gilrae's, you
know, sir, and Mason was responsible."

"He acted wisely," I said, surprised at the domestic's story. "Why, the
guests acted like a gang of thieves."

"They were, sir. They rushed all over the house like demons let loose,
and they even stole some of our things. I lost a silver chain."

"And what did the stranger say when you told him of this?"

"He smiled. It did not seem to surprise him in the least, for after all
his visit was the cause of the sudden breaking up of the party, wasn't
it?"

"And did you show him over the whole house?" I inquired.

"Yes, sir," responded the servant. "Curiously enough he had with him
what seemed to be a large plan of the castle, and as we went from room
to room he compared it with his plan. He was here for hours, and told me
he wanted to make a thorough examination of the place and didn't want to
be disturbed. He also said that he might probably take the place for
next season, if he liked it. I think, however, he only told me this
because he thought I would be more patient while he took his
measurements and made his investigations. He was here from twelve till
nearly six o'clock, and went through every room, even up to the
turrets."

"He came into this room, I suppose?"

"Yes, sir," she responded, with just a slight hesitation, I thought.
"This was the room where he stayed the longest. There was a photograph
in that frame over there," she added, indicating the frame that had held
the picture of Elma Heath, "a portrait of a young lady, which he begged
me to give him."

"And you gave it to him?" I cried quickly.

"Well--yes, sir. He begged so hard for it, saying that it was the
portrait of a friend of his."

"And he gave you something handsome for it--eh?"

The young woman, whom I knew could not refuse half-a-sovereign, colored
slightly and smiled.

"And who put that picture in its place?" I asked.

"I did, sir. I found it upstairs."

"He didn't tell you who the young lady was, I suppose?"

"No, sir. He only said that that was th