"mr. tranter," said the inspector, "i understand that you were the last person to see miss manderson alive."

"i believe i was," tranter replied.

the inspector sat down again at the table, and re-opened his note-book.

"will you kindly tell me exactly what happened from the time you went out into the garden after dinner, and the time you left miss manderson?"

"we strolled away from the house together, in the direction of the river. the events of the evening seemed to have upset her very much, and she was nervous of the storm. we walked about, i should think, for nearly half an hour, until the lightning became very vivid——"

"did you see or hear any one in that part [pg 72]of the garden?" the inspector interrupted.

"no. most of the others went to the lawns, in the opposite direction. when the lightning became very vivid, miss manderson said she would return to the house, and asked me to go down to the lawns to find mr. copplestone, and send him in to her. she was obviously unwell."

"you will be able to show me the place where you left her?"

"i think so. it was very dark—but i remember that we had just passed under a number of rose-arches across the path."

"it was, i presume, further away from the house than the spot where the body was found?"

"the body was found close to the river, about half-way between the house and the place where i left her," tranter replied.

"so we may surmise that she had got about half-way to the house before the attack was made. how far would that actually be?"

"along those winding paths," tranter calculated, "i should say roughly about a hundred and fifty yards."

[pg 73]"did she start to walk to the house immediately you left her?"

"yes. she started in that direction as i started in the other."

"then," mused the inspector, "she must have met the criminal, whoever it was, at the most within three minutes of leaving you?"

"presumably she must," tranter agreed.

"and was that," pursued the inspector, "about the spot where she might have met the young man, layton, who was, it appears, being chased out towards the river by mr. bolsover?"

"it might be. but i do not know anything about the chase. if i had known that layton was in the garden, i should not have left her."

"where did you find mr. copplestone?"

"on the lawns."

"how long after you parted from her?"

"only a few minutes. four or five."

"was he alone?"

"yes. he was looking for miss manderson himself. he went into the house at once."

silence followed while the inspector added to his notes.

"mr. tranter," he said quietly—and his eyes [pg 74]rested for a moment on the cigarette on the table, "i have only one suggestion to make. you will understand that it is only a suggestion, but i want to be perfectly clear. considering that this was the evening of miss manderson's engagement to mr. copplestone, might she not have been expected to have strolled away from the house, and to have spent that following half-hour, with him rather than with you?"

tranter hesitated.

"i suppose she might," he admitted.

the inspector was looking at him sharply.

"it is a small point," he said smoothly. "perhaps you can clear it up."

there was another pause. tranter was plainly embarrassed.

"inspector," he said at last, "i must, of course, tell you everything—but i should be obliged if for obvious reasons, you will keep as much as possible to yourself."

"that, sir," returned the inspector firmly, "you must leave to my discretion."

"i am content to do so," tranter said. "the truth is—i had met miss manderson before."

[pg 75]"ah!" said the inspector softly.

"i knew her first nearly six years ago, in chicago. her real name was not christine manderson."

the inspector's eyes began to brighten. he turned to a fresh page in his note-book.

"she took that name, she told me to-night, when she went on the stage in new york. she was really thea colville."

inspector fay started.

"thea colville? the chicago adventuress?"

"i believe some people called her that," tranter returned shortly.

"the woman who ruined michael cranbourne, son of joshua cranbourne, the nitrate king?"

"she had finished with cranbourne before i knew her," tranter replied. "he was a scoundrel. whatever happened, she certainly could not be blamed."

the inspector was making rapid notes.

"she was not so wild as she was painted," tranter continued. "women with such beauty as hers have a thousand temptations. the [pg 76]sins of a beautiful woman are always many degrees blacker than the sins of a plain one. we became very intimate—and i am afraid i allowed her to expect more from me than i actually intended. i was called back to england unexpectedly, and heard nothing more of her until mr. copplestone brought her into this room to-night."

he stopped. emotion had crept into his voice.

"during the most part of your conversation with her, were you walking about, or standing still?"

"standing still."

"you have said that you did not hear any one moving about near you while you were speaking to her?"

"no."

"were there trees or hedges about, where some one might have hidden to overhear you?"

"there was a hedge," tranter replied. "but i did not notice the spot particularly."

"you will be able to point it out to me to-morrow."

[pg 77]"i think so. as i say, i did not particularly notice it—and the possibility of being overheard certainly did not occur to me. i am afraid at that moment caution was hardly a consideration with either of us."

the inspector closed his note-book.

"unless circumstances compel me to do otherwise," he promised, "i will keep your story to myself. will you tell me whether the announcement of mr. copplestone's engagement to miss manderson produced a noticeable effect on any particular person in the room? please do not hesitate to answer."

"it certainly appeared to be unwelcome news to mrs. astley-rolfe," tranter replied, "but she very quickly recovered herself."

"it seemed, in fact, to be a considerable shock to her?"

"yes."

"were you in the room when this young man, james layton, burst in?"

"i was. monsieur dupont and i had just arrived."

"it is true that he said that rather than [pg 78]allow miss manderson to become engaged to mr. copplestone, he would tear her to pieces with his own hands?"

"those were his exact words."

the inspector rose.

"i understand that you brought monsieur dupont here with you as your friend?" he remarked casually.

"yes. he only arrived in london last night."

"do you know him well?"

"fairly," tranter replied. "i am under a great obligation to him. he saved my life in paris, a year ago."

"has he mentioned anything of the business that has brought him to this country?" the inspector asked, moving to the door.

"only that he had come to solve a strange riddle."

a faint, rather grim smile passed over the inspector's face.

"i am obliged to you, sir," he said, opening the door. "if you will kindly return here at ten o'clock in the morning—and bring monsieur dupont with you—i shall ask you to show [pg 79]me the various places you have referred to in the garden."

when tranter returned to the waiting-room, he found monsieur dupont asleep in an armchair. the room was very quiet. the danseuse had subsided into an interim condition of mute tension. mrs. astley-rolfe was deathly white, but perfectly composed. the men made occasional remarks to each other.

"mrs. astley-rolfe," the inspector called.