he had asked Jorce
the question rather generally than particularly, "but the doctor
declared that Ferruci was with him at ten o'clock on that evening, and
did not leave him until next morning; so as your father was killed
between eleven and twelve, Ferruci must be innocent."

"It would seem so, if this doctor is to be believed," muttered Diana
reflectively, "but judging by what you have told me, there is nothing to
show that Ferruci was _not_ in Pimlico at eight-thirty, and was _not_
the man whom the servant saw."

"Well, certainly he could get from Pimlico to Hampstead in an hour and a
half. However, the main point about all this evidence is, that neither
Ferruci nor Lydia Vrain killed your father."

"No! no! that seems clear. Still! still! they know about it. Oh, I am
sure of it. It must have been Ferruci who was in Pimlico on that night.
If so, he knows who Wrent is, and why he stayed in Jersey Street."

"Perhaps, although he denies ever hearing the name of Wrent. But I would
not be surprised if the man who could solve the mystery is----"

"Who?--who?"

"Doctor Jorce himself. I feel sure of it."

CHAPTER XXI

TWO MONTHS PASS

Unwilling to give up prosecuting the Vrain case while the slightest hope
remained of solving its mystery, Lucian sought out Link, the detective,
and detailed all the evidence he had collected since the constituted
authorities had abandoned the matter. Although Mrs. Vrain and Ferruci
had exculpated themselves entirely, Denzil thought that Link, with his
professional distrust and trained sense of ferreting out secrets, might
discern better than himself whether such exculpations were warranted by
circumstances.

Link heard all that Denzil had to tell him with outward indifference and
inward surprise; for while unwilling, through jealousy of an amateur, to
flatter the barrister by a visible compliment, yet he silently admitted
that Denzil had made his discoveries and profited by them with much
acuteness. What annoyed him, however, was that the young man had pushed
his inquiries to the uttermost limit; and that there was no chance of
any glory accruing to himself by prosecuting them further. Still, on the
possibility that something might come of it, he went over the ground
already traversed by the amateur detective.

"You should have told me of your intentions when Miss Vrain spoke to you
in the first instance," he said to Lucian by way of rebuke. "As it is,
you have confused t