Craig's arms.

"The poor girl!" he cried. "Horrible! Horrible! Horrible!"

Craig led him for a moment to one side. The Professor was overcome and
almost hysterical. Quest and French were left face to face.

"Know anything about this?" Quest asked quickly.

"Not a thing," the Inspector replied. "We arrived, Mrs. Rheinholdt and I,
at five minutes past twelve. There was no answer to our ring. I used my
pass-key and entered. This is what I found."

Quest stood over the body of his valet for a moment. The man was obviously
dead. The Inspector took his handkerchief and covered up the head. A few
feet away was a heavy paper-weight.

"Killed by a blow from behind," French remarked grimly, "with that little
affair. Look here!"

They glanced down at the girl. Quest's eyebrows came together quickly.
There were two blue marks upon her throat where a man's thumbs might have
been.

"The hands again!" he muttered.

The Inspector nodded.

"Can you make anything of it?"

"Not yet," Quest confessed. "I must think."

The Inspector glanced at him curiously.

"Where on earth have you been to?" he demanded.

"Been to?" Quest repeated.

"Look in the mirror!" French suggested.

Quest glanced at himself. His collar had given way, his tie was torn, a
button and some of the cloth had been wrenched from his coat, his trousers
were torn, he was covered with dust.

"I'll tell you about my trouble a little later on," he replied. "Say,
can't we keep those girls out?"

They were too late. Laura and Lenora were already upon the threshold.
Quest swung round towards them.

"Girls," he said, "there has been some trouble here. Go and wait upstairs,
Lenora, or sit in the hall. Laura, you had better telephone to the police
station, and for a doctor. That's right, isn't it, Inspector?"

"Yes!" the latter assented thoughtfully.

Lenora, white to the lips, staggered a few feet back into the hall. Laura
set her teeth and lingered.

"Is that Ross?" she asked.

"It's his body," Quest replied. "He's been murdered here, he and the
Salvation Army girl who was to come this morning for her cheque."

Laura turned away, half dazed.

"I'd have trusted Ross with my life," Quest continued, "but he must have
been alone in the house when the girl came. Do you suppose it was the
usual sort of trouble?"

Inspector French stooped down and picked up the paper-weight. Across it
was stamped the name of Sanford Quest.

"This yours, Quest?"

"Of