of a garden I was passing,
I crossed the road and tossed them over the high wall into the thick
undergrowth which flanks Kew Gardens. At that spot I felt certain that
they would never be discovered. As quickly as possible I re-entered
the house, secured the door by which I had made my exit, and returned
again to my room with the awful knowledge of my sister's crime upon my
conscience."

"What hour was that?"

"When I retired again to bed my watch showed that it was barely
half-past one. At two o'clock Short, awakened by his alarum clock,
made the discovery and aroused the house. What followed you know well
enough. I need not describe it. You can imagine what I felt, and how
guilty was my conscience with the awful knowledge of it all."

"The circumstances were certainly most puzzling," I remarked. "It
almost appears as though matters were cleverly arranged in order to
baffle detection."

"To a certain extent they undoubtedly were. I knew that the
Hennikers would say nothing of poor Mary's erratic return to them.
I did all in my power to withdraw suspicion from my sister, at the
risk of it falling upon myself. You suspected me, Ralph. And only
naturally--after that letter you discovered."

"But Mary's homicidal tendency seems to have been carefully
concealed," I said. "I recollect having detected in her a strange
vagueness of manner, but it never occurred to me that she was mentally
weak. In the days immediately preceding the tragedy I certainly saw
but little of her. She was out nearly every evening."

"She was not responsible for her actions for several weeks together
sometimes," Sir Bernard interrupted. "I discovered it over a year
ago."

"And you profited by your discovery!" my love cried, turning upon him
fiercely. "The crime was committed at your instigation!" she declared.

"At my instigation!" he echoed, with a dry laugh. "I suppose you will
say next that I hypnotised her--or some bunkum of that sort!"

"I'm no believer in hypnotic theories. They were exploded long ago,"
she answered. "But what I do believe--nay, what is positively proved
from my poor sister's own lips by a statement made before
witnesses--is that you were the instigator of the crime. You met her
by appointment that night at Kew Bridge. You opened the door of the
house for her, and you compelled her to go in and commit the deed.
Although demented, she recollected it all in her saner moments. You
told her terrible stories of old Mr. Cou