d?"

"Miss Joan Meredyth," said Slotman.

"Miss Meredyth was a pupil here at the time you mention, three years
ago. It was three years ago that she left."

"In June?" Slotman asked.

"I think so. Is it important that you know?"

"Very!"

"I will go and look up my books." In a few minutes Miss Skinner was
back.

"Miss Meredyth left us in the June of nineteen hundred and eighteen,"
she said.

"Suddenly?"

"Somewhat--yes, suddenly. Her father was dead; she was leaving us to go
to Australia."

"So that was the story," Slotman thought, "to go to Australia."

"During the time she was here, may I ask, did she have any visitors?
Did, for instance, a Mr. Hugh Alston call on her?"

"Mr. Alston, I remember the name. Certainly he called here, but not to
see Miss Meredyth. He came to see Miss Marjorie Linden, who was, I
fancy, distantly related to him. I am not sure, Mr. Alston certainly
called several times."

"And saw Miss Meredyth?"

"I think not. I have no reason to believe that he did. Miss Linden and
Miss Meredyth were close friends, and of course Miss Linden may have
introduced him. It is quite possible."

"Thank you!" said Slotman. He had found out all that he wanted to know,
yet not quite.

For the next few hours Philip Slotman was a busy man. He went to the
church and looked up the register. No marriage such as he looked for had
taken place between Hugh Alston and Joan Meredyth in June, nineteen
eighteen, nor any other month immediately before or after. No marriage
had taken place at the local Registrar's office. But he was not done
yet. Six miles from Marlbury was Morchester, a far larger and more
important town. Thither went Philip Slotman and pursued his enquiries
with a like result.

Neither at Marlbury, nor at Morchester had any marriage been registered
in the name of Hugh Alston and Joan Meredyth in the year nineteen
eighteen; and having discovered that fact beyond doubt, Philip Slotman
took train for London.

CHAPTER XX

"WHEN I AM NOT WITH YOU"

A fortnight had passed since Johnny Everard's first visit to Starden,
and during that time he had been again and yet again. He had never taken
Ellice with him since that first time.

Two days after the first visit he had driven Constance over, and
Constance and Joan Meredyth had become instant friends.

"You'll come again and often; it is lonely here," Joan had said. "I
mean, not lonely for me, that would be ungrateful to Helen, but I