t?"

"The condition of these two candles. Look at them," said he, taking one
out of the silver holder and extending it for Narkom's examination. "One
would suppose that candles which had been burning for three hours and a
quarter would be fairly well consumed, Mr. Narkom; yet, look at these.
They are hardly an inch shorter than the regulation length, so that they
cannot have burned for more than a quarter of an hour at most! Now,
granting that the duchess herself burnt them for ten minutes in
undressing and imbibing her nightly whisky-and-water--and that would
just about tally with the young duke's assertion that the door was
locked and her Grace in bed when he reached the room--that would leave
them to have been burning for just five minutes when the cook, Godwin,
says she discovered the light shining under the door and through the
keyhole."

"By George, you're right. We must have a word with that cook, Cleek.
Either she lied about the time, or else---- Great Scott, man! What if
she, that cook, that Godwin woman, had a hand in it--was herself in
league with the murderer--even let him out of the house before she gave
the alarm? Good heaven, Cleek, we mustn't let that woman get away!"

"She won't--if she's guilty. I'll tell you that for certain if you can
manage to find out what preparations, if any, have as yet been made for
the duchess's funeral."

"But, man alive, what can that have to do with it?"

"Perhaps a great deal; perhaps nothing at all. Just slip downstairs,
will you, and, without giving the subject away, or mentioning anything
about the candles, do a little quiet 'pumping' of the young duke. See if
he knows, or has any plans. I seem to fancy that I have heard somewhere
of a splendid mausoleum being built by the Dowager Duchess of
Heatherlands and the young duke will know if it's so or not. Pump him,
I'll stop here until you return."

It was a full twenty minutes before the superintendent got the
information he wanted and came back with it.

"Well?" said Cleek, as he came in. "There is a mausoleum being built, is
there not?"

"Yes. The murdered woman has been having it built for the past five or
six months for the express purpose of having herself and her late
husband entombed there, apart from all other Heatherlands and with all
the pomp of dead royalty. The structure will not be completed for quite
another half year. In the meantime, as this tragical affair has
disorganised all arrangements and th