oom and quickly returned with Caldew, who entered with
a business-like air.

"This is Mr. Heredith," said Musard.

"I trust you are better, Mr. Heredith," said the detective smoothly. "I
am sorry to trouble you so soon after your illness, but there is a point
we would like to settle before the trial of the woman who is charged
with murdering your wife. We want, if possible, to establish the
ownership of the weapon with which the murder was committed." He
produced a revolver from the pocket of his light overcoat as he spoke.
"In view of the evidence, the identification of the weapon does not
matter much one way or another, but it is as well to fix the point, if
we can. The girl refuses to say where she obtained the revolver--indeed,
she remains stubbornly silent about the crime, and refuses to say
anything about it. That doesn't matter very much either, because the
evidence against her is so strong that she is bound to be convicted. Can
you tell me anything about the revolver, Mr. Heredith? Do you recognize
it?"

Phil was turning the revolver over in his hands, examining it closely.

"Yes," he said. "I recognize it. It belongs to Captain Nepcote."

"Captain Nepcote? Who is he?"

"He is a friend of my nephew's who was staying here, but left the
afternoon of the day the murder was committed," said Miss Heredith. "He
was recalled to the front, I understand. I gave his name to
Superintendent Merrington as one of the guests who had been staying
here."

"How do you identify the revolver as his property?" asked Caldew,
turning to Phil.

"By the bullet mark in the handle. The day before my wife was killed it
was raining, and some of the guests were down in the gun-room shooting
at a target with Nepcote's revolver. He showed us this mark in the
handle, and said that it had saved his life in France. He was leading
his men in a night raid on the German lines, and a German officer fired
at him at close range, but the bullet glanced off the handle of the
revolver."

"Then there can be no doubt Hazel Rath got it from the gun-room," said
Caldew, returning the weapon to his pocket. "Captain Nepcote must have
left it behind him there, and that is where Hazel Rath found it."

"No, no! That seems impossible," said Phil.

"Well, I think it is quite possible," replied Caldew.

"Is it your opinion, then, that Miss Rath is guilty?" demanded Phil,
with a note of sharp anger in his voice.

"Phil!" said Miss Heredith. "You must n