t," I answered.

"Not for the children's sake?" Mrs. Mallet cried, with clasped hands.

"Not for the children's sake, even," I answered. "Consider for a moment,
Mrs. Mallet: IS it true? Do you yourself BELIEVE it?"

She threw herself back in her chair with a dejected face. "Oh, as for
that," she cried, wearily, crossing her hands, "before you and Hilda,
who know all, what need to prevaricate? How CAN I believe it? We
understand how it came about. That woman! That woman!"

"The real wonder is," Hilda murmured, soothing her white hand, "that he
contained himself so long!"

"Well, we all know Hugo," I went on, as quietly as I was able; "and,
knowing Hugo, we know that he might be urged to commit this wild act in
a fierce moment of indignation--righteous indignation on behalf of his
motherless girls, under tremendous provocation. But we also know
that, having once committed it, he would never stoop to disown it by a
subterfuge."

The heart-broken sister let her head drop faintly. "So Hilda told me,"
she murmured; "and what Hilda says in these matters is almost always
final."

We debated the question for some minutes more. Then Mrs. Mallet cried
at last: "At any rate, he has fled for the moment, and his flight alone
brings the worst suspicion upon him. That is our chief point. We must
find out where he is; and if he has gone right away, we must bring him
back to London."

"Where do you think he has taken refuge?"

"The police, Dr. Sebastian has ascertained, are watching the railway
stations, and the ports for the Continent."

"Very like the police!" Hilda exclaimed, with more than a touch of
contempt in her voice. "As if a clever man-of-the-world like Hugo
Le Geyt would run away by rail, or start off to the Continent! Every
Englishman is noticeable on the Continent. It would be sheer madness!"

"You think he has not gone there, then?" I cried, deeply interested.

"Of course not. That is the point I hinted at just now. He has defended
many persons accused of murder, and he often spoke to me of their
incredible folly, when trying to escape, in going by rail, or in setting
out from England for Paris. An Englishman, he used to say, is least
observed in his own country. In this case, I think I KNOW where he has
gone, how he went there."

"Where, then?"

"WHERE comes last; HOW first. It is a question of inference."

"Explain. We know your powers."

"Well, I take it for granted that he killed her--we must not mi