to gloat openly over his bright prospects.

"Terrible thing, to be put out of existence like that," he said, as we
sat in Mr. Crawford's office, looking over some papers; "but it solved a
big problem for Florence and me. However, we'll be married as soon as we
decently can, and then we'll go abroad, and forget the tragic part of it
all."

"I suppose you haven't a glimmer of a suspicion as to who did it," I
ventured.

"No, I haven't. Not the faintest notion. But I wish you could find
out. Of course, nobody holds up that bag business as against Florence,
but--it's uncomfortable all the same. I wish I'd been here that night.
I'm 'most sure I'd have heard a shot, or something."

"Where were you?" I said, in a careless tone.

Hall drew himself up stiffly. "Excuse me," he said. "I declined to
answer that question before. Since I was not in West Sedgwick, it can
matter to no one where I was."

"Oh, that's all right," I returned affably, for I had no desire to get
his ill will. "But of course we detectives have to ask questions. By the
way, where did you buy Miss Lloyd's yellow roses?"

"See here," said Gregory Hall, with a petulant expression, "I don't want
to be questioned. I'm not on the witness-stand, and, as I've told you,
I'm uncomfortable already about these so-called `clues' that seem to
implicate Miss Lloyd. So, if you please, I'll say nothing."

"All right," I responded, "just as you like."

I went away from the house, thinking how foolish people could be. I
could easily discover where he bought the roses, as there were only
three florists' shops in West Sedgwick and I resolved to go at once to
hunt up the florist who sold them.

Assuming he would naturally go to the shop nearest the railroad station,
and which was also on the way from the Crawford house, I went there
first, and found my assumption correct.

The florist was more than willing to talk on the subject.

"Yes, sir," he said; "I sold those roses to Mr. Hall--sold 'em to him
myself. He wanted something extra nice, and I had just a dozen of those
big yellow beauties. No, I don't raise my own flowers. I get 'em from
the city. And so I had just that dozen, and I sent 'em right up. Well,
there was some delay, for two of my boys were out to supper, and I
waited for one to get back."

"And you had no other roses just like these in stock?"

"No, sir. Hadn't had for a week or more. Haven't any now. May not get
any more at all. They're a scarce sort,