tightly clenched by her side.

"Have you found out--anything?" she asked the inspector as he entered.

The girl had chosen a vague word because she felt that there were many
things which must come to light in unravelling the crime, but, from the
police point of view of Inspector Chippenfield, the question whether he
had found out anything was a stinging reflection on his ability.

"I consider it inadvisable to make any arrest at the present stage of my
investigations," he said, with cold official dignity.

"Do you think you know who did it?" asked the girl.

"It is my business to find out," replied the inspector, in a voice that
indicated confidence in his ability to perform the task.

The girl was too unsophisticated to follow the subtle workings of
official pride. "The papers call it a mysterious crime. Do you think it
is mysterious?"

"There are certainly some mysterious features about it," said the
inspector. "But I do not regard them as insoluble. Nothing is insoluble,"
he added, in a sententious tone.

"If there are mysteries to be solved you ought to have help," said the
young lady.

She glanced at Mrs. Hewson significantly, and then proceeded to explain
to Inspector Chippenfield what she meant.