ever speak of it again?"

"Everybody was that taken up about the murder that I doubt if they've
minded on it any further."

Carrington was silent for a few moments.

"Are the servants intelligent girls?" he enquired.

"Oh, quite average intelligent. In fact, the housemaid is a particular
decent sort of a girl."

At this point, Mr. Carrington's interest in the subject seemed to wane,
and after a few pleasant generalities, he thanked the Superintendent for
his courtesy, and strolled down to the hotel for lunch. This time his
air as he walked was noticeably brisker and his eye decidedly brighter.

About three o'clock that afternoon came a ring at the front door bell of
Mr. Simon Rattar's commodious villa. Mary MacLean declared afterwards
that she had a presentiment when she heard it, but then the poor girl
had been rather troubled with presentiments lately. When she opened the
front door she saw a particularly polite and agreeable looking gentleman
adorned with that unmistakeable mark of fashion, a single eyeglass; and
the gentleman saw a pleasant looking but evidently high strung and
nervous young woman.

"Is Mr. Simon Rattar at home?" he enquired in a courteous voice and with
a soothing smile that won her heart at once; and on hearing that Mr.
Rattar always spent the afternoons at his office and would not return
before five o'clock, his disappointment was so manifest that she felt
sincerely sorry for him.

He hesitated and was about to go away when a happy idea struck him.

"Might I come in and write a line to be left for him?" he asked, and
Mary felt greatly relieved at being able to assist the gentleman to
assuage his disappointment in this way.

She led him into the library and somehow or other by the time she had
got him ink and paper and pen she found herself talking to this
distinguished looking stranger in the most friendly way. It was not that
he was forward or gallant, far from it; simply that he was so nice and
so remarkably sympathetic. Within five minutes of making his
acquaintance, Mary felt that she could tell him almost anything.

This sympathetic visitor made several appreciative remarks about the
house and garden, and then, just as he had dipped his pen into the ink,
he remarked:

"Rather a tempting house for burglars, I should think--if such people
existed in these peaceable parts."

"Oh, but they do, sir," she assured him. "We had one in this very house
one night!"

XXXIII

TH