ady
prepared to assert they were too late.

"Were you too late also?" asked the doctor, a solid prosperous-looking
man, with conventional moustache and whiskers, but a lively eye, which
darted over Kidd dubiously.

"In one sense," drawled the representative of the Sun. "I was too
late to save the man, but I guess I was in time to hear something of
importance. I heard the dead man denounce his assassin."

"And who was the assassin?" asked the doctor, drawing his eyebrows
together.

"Boulnois," said Calhoun Kidd, and whistled softly.

The doctor stared at him gloomily with a reddening brow--, but he did
not contradict. Then the priest, a shorter figure in the background,
said mildly: "I understood that Mr Boulnois was not coming to Pendragon
Park this evening."

"There again," said the Yankee grimly, "I may be in a position to give
the old country a fact or two. Yes, sir, John Boulnois was going to stay
in all this evening; he fixed up a real good appointment there with me.
But John Boulnois changed his mind; John Boulnois left his home abruptly
and all alone, and came over to this darned Park an hour or so ago.
His butler told me so. I think we hold what the all-wise police call a
clue--have you sent for them?"

"Yes," said the doctor, "but we haven't alarmed anyone else yet."

"Does Mrs Boulnois know?" asked James Dalroy, and again Kidd was
conscious of an irrational desire to hit him on his curling mouth.

"I have not told her," said the doctor gruffly--, "but here come the
police."

The little priest had stepped out into the main avenue, and now returned
with the fallen sword, which looked ludicrously large and theatrical
when attached to his dumpy figure, at once clerical and commonplace.
"Just before the police come," he said apologetically, "has anyone got a
light?"

The Yankee journalist took an electric torch from his pocket, and the
priest held it close to the middle part of the blade, which he examined
with blinking care. Then, without glancing at the point or pommel, he
handed the long weapon to the doctor.

"I fear I'm no use here," he said, with a brief sigh. "I'll say good
night to you, gentlemen." And he walked away up the dark avenue towards
the house, his hands clasped behind him and his big head bent in
cogitation.

The rest of the group made increased haste towards the lodge-gates,
where an inspector and two constables could already be seen in
consultation with the lodge-keeper. But t