r. Carrington been a really observant man, one would think he would
have noticed the sudden change of expression in the girl's face--as if
he had aroused painful thoughts. He did seem to look at her for an
instant as he asked the question, but then turned his gaze towards the
distant glimpse of the house.

"Yes," she murmured and looked as though she wanted to pass on; but Mr.
Carrington seemed so excited by his discovery that he never noticed this
and still stood right in her path.

"How very interesting!" he murmured. "By Jove, how very interesting!"
And then with the air of passing on a still more interesting piece of
news, he said suddenly, "I hear they have arrested Sir Malcolm
Cromarty."

This time he kept his monocle full on her.

"Arrested him!" she cried. "What for?"

This question, put with the most palpable wonder, seemed to disconcert
Mr. Carrington considerably. He even hesitated in a very unusual way for
him.

"For--for the murder, of course."

Her eyes opened very wide.

"For Sir Reginald's murder? How ridiculous!"

Again Mr. Carrington seemed a little disconcerted.

"Er--why is it ridiculous?" he asked. "Of course, I--I know nothing
about the gentleman."

"Evidently!" she agreed with reproach in her eyes. "If Sir Malcolm
really has been arrested, it can only have been for something quite
silly. He couldn't commit a murder!"

The fact that this tribute to the baronet's innocence was not wholly
devoid of a flavour of criticism seemed to strike Mr. Carrington, for
his eye twinkled for an instant.

"You are acquainted with him then?" said he.

"I am staying at Keldale; in fact, I am a relation."

There was no doubt of her intention to rebuke the too garrulous
gentleman by this information, and it succeeded completely. He passed at
once to the extreme of apology.

"Oh! I beg your pardon!" he exclaimed. "I had no idea. Really, I hope
you will accept my apologies, Miss--er--Cromarty."

"Miss Farmond," she corrected.

"Miss Farmond, I mean. It was frightfully tactless of me!"

He said it so nicely and looked so innocently guilty and so contrite,
that her look lost its touch of indignation.

"I still can't understand what you mean about Sir Malcolm being
arrested," she said. "How did you hear?"

"Oh, I was very likely misinformed. An old fellow at the hotel last
night was saying so."

Her eye began to grow indignant again.

"What old fellow?"

"Red hair, shaky knees, bit of a stam