ike."

"Well, if you think that's a threat, dear, you're very particular, I
must say."

But Audrey remembered Elsie's words when she was in front of Inspector
Birch. She gave her own evidence with the readiness of one who had
already repeated it several times, and was examined and cross-examined
by the Inspector with considerable skill. The temptation to say, "Never
mind about what you said to him," was strong, but he resisted it,
knowing that in this way he would discover best what he said to her. By
this time both his words and the looks he gave her were getting their
full value from Audrey, but the general meaning of them seemed to be
well-established.

"Then you didn't see Mr. Mark at all."

"No, sir; he must have come in before and gone up to his room. Or come
in by the front door, likely enough, while I was going out by the back."

"Yes. Well, I think that's all that I want to know, thank you very much.
Now what about the other servants?"

"Elsie heard the master and Mr. Robert talking together," said Audrey
eagerly. "He was saying--Mr. Mark, I mean--"

"Ah! Well, I think Elsie had better tell me that herself. Who is Elsie,
by the way?"

"One of the housemaids. Shall I send her to you, sir?"

"Please."

Elsie was not sorry to get the message. It interrupted a few remarks
from Mrs. Stevens about Elsie's conduct that afternoon which were (Elsie
thought) much better interrupted. In Mrs. Stevens' opinion any crime
committed that afternoon in the office was as nothing to the double
crime committed by the unhappy Elsie.

For Elsie realized too late that she would have done better to have said
nothing about her presence in the hall that afternoon. She was bad at
concealing the truth and Mrs. Stevens was good at discovering it. Elsie
knew perfectly well that she had no business to come down the front
stairs, and it was no excuse to say that she happened to come out of
Miss Norris' room just at the head of the stairs, and didn't think it
would matter, as there was nobody in the hall, and what was she doing
anyhow in Miss Norris' room at that time? Returning a magazine? Lent by
Miss Norris, might she ask? Well, not exactly lent. Really, Elsie!--and
this in a respectable house! In vain for poor Elsie to plead that
a story by her favourite author was advertised on the cover, with a
picture of the villain falling over the cliff. "That's where you'll go
to, my girl, if you aren't careful," said Mrs. Stevens firmly