h Mark was missing, neither he nor his body could ever be found.
Well, that doesn't often happen with a missing man. He generally gets
discovered in the end; a professional criminal; perhaps not--but an
amateur like Mark! He might have kept the secret of how he killed Mark,
but I think it would have become obvious sooner or later that he had
killed him."

"Yes, there's something in that.... Oh, just tell me one thing. Why did
Mark tell Miss Norbury about his imaginary brother?"

"That's puzzled me rather, too, Bill. It may be that he was just doing
the Othello business--painting himself black all over. I mean he may
have been so full of his appearance as Robert that he had almost got to
believe in Robert, and had to tell everybody. More likely, though, he
felt that, having told all of you at the house, he had better tell Miss
Norbury, in case she met one of you; in which case, if you mentioned the
approaching arrival of Robert, she might say, 'Oh, I'm certain he has
no brother; he would have told me if he had,' and so spoil his joke.
Possibly, too, Cayley put him on to it; Cayley obviously wanted as many
people as possible to know about Robert."

"Are you going to tell the police?"

"Yes, I suppose they'll have to know. Cayley may have left another
confession. I hope he won't give me away; you see, I've been a sort of
accessory since yesterday evening. And I must go and see Miss Norbury."

"I asked," explained Bill, "because I was wondering what I should say
to--to Betty. Miss Calladine. You see, she's bound to ask."

"Perhaps you won't see her again for a long, long time," said Antony
sadly.

"As a matter of fact, I happen to know that she will be at the
Barringtons. And I go up there to-morrow."

"Well, you had better tell her. You're obviously longing to. Only don't
let her say anything for a day or two. I'll write to you."

"Righto!"

Antony knocked the ashes out of his pipe and got up.

"The Barringtons," he said. "Large party?"

"Fairly, I think."

Antony smiled at his friend.

"Yes. Well, if any of 'em should happen to be murdered, you might send
for me. I'm just getting into the swing of it."

End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Red House Mystery, by A. A. Milne

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