nd to the right? The front door was not in
the middle of the house, it was to the end. Undoubtedly they went the
longest way round. But perhaps there was something in the way, if one
went to the right--a wall, say. He strolled off in that direction,
followed a path round the house and came in sight of the office windows.
Quite simple, and about half the distance of the other way. He went on
a little farther, and came to a door, just beyond the broken-in windows.
It opened easily, and he found himself in a passage. At the end of the
passage was another door. He opened it and found himself in the hall
again.

"And, of course, that's the quickest way of the three," he said to
himself. "Through the hall, and out at the back; turn to the left and
there you are. Instead of which, we ran the longest way round the house.
Why? Was it to give Mark more time in which to escape? Only, in that
case--why run? Also, how did Cayley know then that it was Mark who
was trying to escape? If he had guessed--well, not guessed, but been
afraid--that one had shot the other, it was much more likely that Robert
had shot Mark. Indeed, he had admitted that this was what he thought.
The first thing he had said when he turned the body over was, 'Thank
God! I was afraid it was Mark.' But why should he want to give Robert
time in which to get away? And again--why run, if he did want to give
him time?"

Antony went out of the house again to the lawns at the back, and sat
down on a bench in view of the office windows.

"Now then," he said, "let's go through Cayley's mind carefully, and see
what we get."

Cayley had been in the hall when Robert was shown into the office. The
servant goes off to look for Mark, and Cayley goes on with his book.
Mark comes down the stairs, warns Cayley to stand by in case he is
wanted, and goes to meet his brother. What does Cayley expect? Possibly
that he won't be wanted at all; possibly that his advice may be wanted
in the matter, say, of paying Robert's debts, or getting him a passage
back to Australia; possibly that his physical assistance may be wanted
to get an obstreperous Robert out of the house. Well, he sits there for
a moment, and then goes into the library. Why not? He is still within
reach, if wanted. Suddenly he hears a pistol-shot. A pistol-shot is the
last noise you expect to hear in a country-house; very natural, then,
that for the moment he would hardly realize what it was. He listens--and
hears nothi