y the point,'
he said, 'on which I can be of some assistance to you.' Trent glanced
up in surprise. 'I told you I half expected you. I will explain the
situation. Mrs. Manderson, who is my niece--'

'What!' Trent laid down his knife and fork with a clash. 'Cupples, you
are jesting with me.'

'I am perfectly serious, Trent, really,' returned Mr. Cupples earnestly.
'Her father, John Peter Domecq, was my wife's brother. I never mentioned
my niece or her marriage to you before, I suppose. To tell the truth, it
has always been a painful subject to me, and I have avoided discussing
it with anybody. To return to what I was about to say: last night,
when I was over at the house--by the way, you can see it from here. You
passed it in the car.' He indicated a red roof among poplars some three
hundred yards away, the only building in sight that stood separate from
the tiny village in the gap below them.

'Certainly I did,' said Trent. 'The manager told me all about it, among
other things, as he drove me in from Bishopsbridge.'

'Other people here have heard of you and your performances,' Mr. Cupples
went on. 'As I was saying, when I was over there last night, Mr. Bunner,
who is one of Manderson's two secretaries, expressed a hope that the
Record would send you down to deal with the case, as the police seemed
quite at a loss. He mentioned one or two of your past successes, and
Mabel--my niece--was interested when I told her afterwards. She is
bearing up wonderfully well, Trent; she has remarkable fortitude of
character. She said she remembered reading your articles about the
Abinger case. She has a great horror of the newspaper side of this
sad business, and she had entreated me to do anything I could to
keep journalists away from the place--I'm sure you can understand her
feeling, Trent; it isn't really any reflection on that profession. But
she said you appeared to have great powers as a detective, and she would
not stand in the way of anything that might clear up the crime. Then
I told her you were a personal friend of mine, and gave you a good
character for tact and consideration of others' feelings; and it ended
in her saying that, if you should come, she would like you to be helped
in every way.'

Trent leaned across the table and shook Mr. Cupples by the hand in
silence. Mr. Cupples, much delighted with the way things were turning
out, resumed:

'I spoke to my niece on the telephone only just now, and she is glad you