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It would be easy to ascertain for certain whom she danced with," Morriston said reflectively. "But that again is almost unthinkable." "And," Gifford added, "it seems to go no way towards elucidating the problem of how Henshaw came to his death. As a matter of fact I should say Miss Tredworth danced and sat out nearly the whole of the evening with Kelson. You know he proposed at the dance?"
Something, an almost apprehensive touch, in Gifford's tone rather took his friend aback. "Why not?" "To Miss the girl you were dancing with?" Again Gifford's tone gave a check to Kelson's enthusiasm. It was with a more serious face that he replied, "Muriel Tredworth, the best girl in England. I hope, my dear Hugh, you are not going to say you don't think so."
Presently he asked, "How did you get on to-day I mean with Colonel Tredworth?" "Oh, everything went off beautifully," Kelson answered, his tone brightening with the change of subject. "The old boy gave me his consent and his blessing. I've scarcely been able as yet to appreciate my luck, with this affair at Wynford Place intervening." "No," Gifford responded mechanically.
Charlie Tredworth was also quite emphatically of opinion that his sister should make no secret of what had been found. "The inspector, who is here," Morriston said, "tells me that Major Freeman, our chief constable, intends to come here this morning. I'll say we want to see him directly he arrives." It was not long before the chief constable was shown into the library.
"Hardly by the idea that Miss Tredworth had anything to do with the late tragedy," was the quiet answer. "Good heavens, man, I should hope not," Kelson cried vehemently. "That is too monstrously absurd." "What is Miss Tredworth's idea?" "She has none. She is completely mystified. And inclined to be horribly frightened." "Naturally," Gifford commented in the same even tone.
"When it lies in the shadow of the house it is a regular trap." "Moonlight has its dangers as well as its beauties," Painswick murmured sententiously. "The friendly cloak of night is apt to trip one up," Gifford added. As he spoke the words there came a startling little cry from Miss Tredworth accompanied by the crash and clatter of falling crockery.
"I am sure of that, as I am sure of you," she replied. Then added with a change of tone, "You were certain for a while that Muriel Tredworth had not only been guilty of something discreditable in her past but had stabbed to death in your presence the man who knew her secret." "I'm afraid there seemed to me no alternative but to believe it," he acknowledged.
As they went in she called, "Dick!" and he answered her from the library. There they found him with Kelson and Muriel Tredworth. A glance at their faces told Gifford that they were all in a state of scarcely suppressed excitement. "I say, Edith, what do you think?" her brother exclaimed. "We've made a rather important discovery. Were you in the middle room of the tower during the dance?"
"So far that I now share with Muriel Tredworth the suspicion of knowing all about the tragedy." "Hardly that," Gifford replied with a smile. "There can be no cause for that fear. By the way," he added more seriously, "I owe you an account of my failure to gain any information for you with regard to Mr. Gervase Henshaw's plans." "He is not communicative?" Miss Morriston suggested casually.
Major Freeman smiled, a little awkwardly, it seemed. "If anything, it would appear to complicate the problem still further," he replied guardedly. "Still, I am very glad to have it, and thank you for informing me so promptly. Miss Tredworth may rest assured that should we find it necessary to go still farther into this piece of evidence, it will be done with as little annoyance as possible."
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