knew of details the better."

"A reasonable feeling, under the circumstances," murmured Foyle. And
then, with a smile, "Your finger-prints on the dagger have been partly
responsible for a lot of bother, Lady Eileen. If you had followed my
advice at first--but it's no use harping on that. You have believed Mr.
Grell to be the murderer, I suppose, and made your own confession to
shield him. I don't know that I oughtn't to congratulate you both, for
he has certainly made enormous sacrifices, and taken enormous risks to
shield you."

"To shield _me_?" Her astonishment was palpable.

"To shield you. He had at least as much reason--if you'll forgive me
saying so--to believe you guilty as you had to think he was a murderer.
It was he--if my guess is correct--who opened the door while you were
stooping over the murdered man. He must have jumped to the conclusion
that you had at that moment killed the man, and took his own way of
diverting suspicion from you. That is the only explanation that appears
plausible to me."

A new light of happiness was in her grey eyes, and she smiled. The
direct common sense of the detective had brought home to her the motive
for the portion of the mystery that until that moment had perplexed her.
Robert Grell had laid down everything for her sake. And she had never
thought--never dreamed.... The voice of Foyle, apparently distant and
far away, broke in on her thoughts.

"I have sent for Mr. Grell. He will be here shortly. There is still some
light that he may be disposed to throw on the affair--now. Meanwhile, if
you do not object, I should like to have the statement you have just
made put in writing. I will have a shorthand writer in and place this
room at your disposal."

She murmured some words of assent and he disappeared. In a few minutes
he returned with one of the junior men of the C.I.D., who carried a
reporter's notebook in one hand and a pencil in the other.

Heldon Foyle strolled away to Sir Hilary Thornton's room. The Assistant
Commissioner was just hanging up his overcoat. He turned quickly and
held out his hand to the superintendent.

"Congratulations, Foyle. I hear it's all plain sailing now. Come and
tell me all about it."

CHAPTER LV

For ten minutes the two heads of the detective service of London were in
conference. Then there was an interruption. The door was pulled open
without any preliminary knock, and Chief-Inspector Green strode swiftly
in, with Robert