not talk in some quieter place?"

"Come downstairs," said Juliet, moving, "but the rooms are unfurnished
as Mrs. Pill is cleaning them. The house is quiet enough."

"So I see," said the detective, following his companion down to the
basement, "only yourself and Mrs. Pill."

"And my mother," she answered. "We came here to see about some
business connected with the letting of the cottage. My mother is lying
down in the old part of the house. Do you wish to see her?"

"No. I wish to see you."

By this time they had entered the sitting-room in which the crime had
been committed. The carpets were up, the furniture had been removed,
the walls were bare. Jennings could have had no better opportunity of
seeking for any secret entrance, the existence of which he suspected by
reason of the untimely sounding of the bell. But everything seemed to
be in order. The floor was of oak, and there was--strangely enough--no
hearth-stone. The French windows opened into the conservatory, now
denuded of its flowers, and stepping into this Jennings found that the
glass roof was entirely closed, save for a space for ventilation. The
assassin could not have entered or escaped in that way, and there was
no exit from the room save by the door.

"Would you like to see the bedroom?" asked Juliet sarcastically. "I
see you are examining the place, though I should have thought you would
have done so before."

"I did at the time," replied Jennings calmly, "but the place was then
full of furniture and the carpets were down. Let me see the bedroom by
all means."

Juliet led the way into the next room, which was also bare. There was
one window hermetically sealed and with iron shutters. This looked out
on to a kind of well, and light was reflected from above by means of a
sheet of silvered tin. No one could have got out by the window, and
even then, it would have been difficult to have climbed up the well
which led to the surface of the ground. The floor and walls had no
marks of entrances, and Jennings returned to the sitting-room
completely baffled. Then Juliet spoke again. "I cannot help wondering
what you expect to find," she observed.

"I thought there might be a secret entrance," said Jennings, looking at
her keenly, "but there seems to be none."

Miss Saxon appeared genuinely astonished and looked round. "I never
heard of such a thing," she said, puzzled. "And what would a quiet old
lady like my aunt need with a secret