e only pebble on the beach. But there was something special in the
way she looked at Ralph.... Yes, I think she _was_ in love with him! But
then again," he frowned, "she would treat him like a dog. Seemed to want
to drive him away from her--but she always called him back--Oh, Lord!"
he interrupted himself with a groan. "Now I suppose I _have_ put my foot
in it! You've got the damnedest way of making a chap tell everything he
would cut his tongue out rather than spill, Dundee! But just because a
young man's in love, and happens not to show up at a party, is no reason
to think he sneaked up to the house and killed the woman he loved and
wanted to marry. For I'm not so dumb that I haven't seen the drift of
your damnable questions, Dundee!... Do you know Ralph Hammond, by any
chance?" he concluded, his round face red with anger.

"No--but I should like to meet him," Dundee retorted. "He seems quite
hard to locate this evening."

"Well, when you do meet him," Tracey Miles began violently, his blue
eyes blazing with anger, "you'll soon find you've been barking up the
wrong tree! There's not a cleaner, finer, straighter--"

"In fact, he is a friend of yours, Miles," Dundee answered soothingly,
"and I respect you for every word you've said.... By the way, did all of
you go to the Country Club for dinner after you left here?"

Somewhat mollified, Miles answered: "All of us but Clive Hammond. He
said he was going to have a look around for Ralph himself. Seemed to
have an idea where he might find him.... And, oh, yes, Sprague
disappeared in the scramble. He hasn't a car and nobody thought of
offering him a lift. Guess he took a bus into Hamilton.... Ah! Here's
Lydia!... Hello, Lydia!" he called heartily to the woman who was
standing, tall and gaunt, in the doorway. "Mighty glad you're coming to
look after the kids!"

From behind the black veil which draped her ugly black hat and hid her
scarred face, Lydia answered in the dull, harsh voice that was
characteristic of her:

"Thank you, sir. I'll do my best."

She made no protest when Dundee, with a word of embarrassed apology,
went rapidly through the heavy suitcase she had brought up from the
basement with her. And when he had finished his fruitless search, she
knelt and silently smoothed the coarse, utilitarian garments he had
disarranged.

Five minutes later Dundee was alone in the house where murder had been
committed under such strange and baffling circumstances that a