him in the court when Carter was before the bench, Mr. Lindsey,"
I remarked.

"Aye!--and I wish he'd told me that day what he could have told!"
exclaimed Mr. Lindsey under his breath. "But he's a cautious, a very
cautious man, and he preferred to work quietly, and it wasn't until very
late tonight that he came to Murray and sent for me--an hour, it was,
after you'd gone home. The other man with him is a London detective. Man!
there's nice revelations come out!--and pretty much on the lines I was
suspecting. We'd have been up here an hour ago if it hadn't been for yon
storm. And--but now that the storm's over, Hugh, we must get Maisie
Dunlop out of this; come up, now, and show me where she is--that first,
and the rest after."

We left the others still grouped around the dead man and the boxes which
had been brought up from the car, and I took Mr. Lindsey up the stairs to
the room in the turret which had served Maisie for a prison all that
weary time. And after a word or two with her about her sore adventures,
Mr. Lindsey told her she must be away, and he would get Murray to send
one of the policemen with her to see her safe home--I myself being still
wanted down below. But at that Maisie began to show signs of distinct
dislike and disapproval.

"I'll not go a yard, Mr. Lindsey," she declared, "unless you'll give me
your word that you'll not let Hugh out of your sight again till all this
is settled and done with! Twice within this last few days the lad's been
within an inch of his life, and they say the third time pays for all--and
how do I know there mightn't be a third time in his case? And I'd rather
stay by him, and we'll take our chances together--"

"Now, now!" broke in Mr. Lindsey, patting her arm. "There's a good
half-dozen of us with him now, and we'll take good care no harm comes to
him or any of us; so be a good lass and get you home to Andrew--and tell
him all about it, for the worthy man's got a bee in his bonnet that we've
been in some way responsible for your absence, my girl. You're sure you
never set eyes on Sir Gilbert again after he and Hollins stopped you?" he
asked suddenly, as we went down the stair. "Nor heard his voice down
here--or anywhere?"

"I never saw him again, nor heard him," answered Maisie. "And till Hugh
came just now, I'd never seen Hollins himself since morning and--Oh!"

She had caught sight of the still figure stretched out in the lower room,
and she shrank to me as we hurried