ends as they drove
home in the motor-car that he could not understand why the
drawing-rooms were swathed in brown holland unless Peter meant to go
away again. If so, when was the marriage to be? Why should it be
postponed for more than a brief period of mourning? And why did the
rooms which he had seen through the windows wear such a shut-up and
dismantled appearance? He found food for speculation during the whole
afternoon call, and in his inquisitive way gave his mind to finding out
as much as possible about his neighbour's doings.

Lady Falconer sat by the fire of logs, while Mr. Lawrence's garrulous
conversation went on uninterruptedly. Peter found her quiet manner
attractive, and began to feel grateful to Mr. Lawrence for his
intrusiveness, without which he would not have enjoyed a conversation
with this pleasant, gentle-mannered woman seated thoughtfully by the
fire.

'May I ask a favour?' said Mr. Lawrence gushingly, laying his hand upon
Peter's shoulder. 'I want awfully to see that new heating apparatus
you have had put in downstairs. I was recommending it the other day to
Carstairs; but I want to know something more about it, and then I shall
be able to explain it better. How much coal, for instance, do you find
it consumes?'

When the two had sought the lower regions Mr. Semple took Peter's
vacant chair by the fire. Lady Falconer held her muff between her and
the blaze, and her face was in shadow. The lawyer said briefly, 'We
are in great perplexity, and I think you can help us, and I feel
sure'--he looked at her with admiration--'that whatever I say to you
will be received in confidence.'

'It shall be in confidence,' said Lady Falconer.

'At the same time,' said Mr. Semple, 'I must tell you that I mean to
ask you a great many questions, and tell you very little in return--at
least for the present. In the first place, it is all-important that we
should know when Mrs. Ogilvie's elder boy died.'

'And I,' said Lady Falconer hopelessly, 'did not even know until the
other day that she had had another boy.'

'And yet,' said the lawyer, 'however slight the chain of evidence is,
we must follow it closely. You are probably the person who saw Mrs.
Ogilvie first after the death of the child.'

'That I can hardly believe,' protested Lady Falconer. 'It seems to me
that, however reserved a woman might be, she would still let another
woman know about so intimate a trouble.'

'Mrs. Ogilvie was a ver