ut Hexford and Clarke saw them in time
to satisfy themselves that they extended from the northern clump of trees
to the upper gateway where they took the direction of the Hill."

"That is not all. A grip-sack, packed for travelling, was in Mr.
Ranelagh's cutter, showing that his story of an intended journey was not
without some foundation."

"Yes. We have retained that grip-sack. It is not the only proof we have
of his intention to leave the city for a while. He had made other
arrangements, business arrangements--But that's neither here nor there.
No one doubts that he planned an elopement with the beautiful Carmel; the
question is, was his disappointment followed by the murder of the woman
who stood in his way?"

District Attorney Fox (you will have guessed his identity before now)
took his time, deliberating carefully with himself before venturing to
reply. Then when the coroner's concealed impatience was about to disclose
itself, he quietly remarked:

"I suppose that no conclusion can be drawn from the condition of the body
when our men reached it. I judge that it was still warm."

"Yes, but so it would have been if she had met her fate several minutes
earlier than was supposed. Clarke and Hexford differ about the length of
time which intervened between the moment when the former looked into the
room from the outside and that of their final entrance. But whether it
was five minutes or ten, the period was long enough to render their
testimony uncertain as to the exact length of time she had lain there
dead. Had I been there--But it's useless to go into that. Let us take up
something more tangible."

"Very good. Here it is. Of the six bottles of spirits which were
surreptitiously taken from the club-house's wine-vault, four were found
standing unopened on the kitchen table. Where are the other two?"

"That's it! That's the question I have put myself ever since I
interrogated the steward and found him ready to swear to the correctness
of his report and the disappearance of these two bottles. Ranelagh did
not empty them, or the bottles themselves would have been found somewhere
about the place. Now, who did?"

"No one within the club-house precincts. They were opened and emptied
elsewhere. There's our clew and if the man you've got up from New York is
worth his salt, he has his task ready to hand."

"A hard task for a stranger--and such a stranger! Not very prepossessing,
to say the least. But he has a good eye