yes, then across at his
step-mother.

"The woman had put on a pair of men's boots that the footprints
might be masculine. They were so much too large for her that she had
to drag her feet along the ground. The boots were those of a man
weighing, say, about eleven and a half stone; the weight inside
those boots shown by the impression in the mould was little more
than seven stone."

Lady Glanedale put out her hand as if to ward off a blow; but
Malcolm Sage continued mercilessly, addressing Glanedale.

"The length of a man's stride is thirty inches; between these steps
the space was less than fifteen inches. Skirts are worn very
narrow."

He paused, then, as Lady Glanedale made no reply, he turned to
Glanedale.

"I asked you this morning," he said, "to climb the other pipe for
the double purpose of examining the impress of your boots on the
mould as you left the ground and when you dropped back again on to
the mould. Also to see what sort of marks a pair of leather boots
would make upon the weatherworn paint of the pipe.

"As you sprang from the ground and clutched the pipe, there was a
deep impress on the mould of the soles of both boots, deep at the
toes and tapering off towards the heel. On your return you made
distinct heel-marks as well."

Lady Glanedale had buried her face in her hands. She must blot out
the sight of those terrible hands! Glanedale sat with his eyes upon
Malcolm Sage as if hypnotised.

"There was a shower of rain last night about twelve, an hour before
the alleged burglar arrived; yet the footprints were made before the
rain fell. In two cases leaves had been trodden into the footprints;
yet on these leaves were drops of rain just as they had fallen."

The hands seemed to draw the leaves and indicate the spots of water
as if they had been blood. Glanedale shuddered involuntarily.

"In the centre-part of the pipe there were no marks, although there
were light scratches for as high up as the arm of a short person
could reach, and as far down from the bedroom window as a similar
arm could stretch. These scratches were quite dissimilar from those
made on the other pipe."

Lady Glanedale moaned something unintelligible.

"Although there had been a shower and the mould was wet," proceeded
Malcolm Sage, "there were no marks of mud or mould on the pipe, on
the window-sill, or in Lady Glanedale's bedroom, which, I understand,
had purposely not been swept. A man had slid down that water-pipe;