left town at the time you mention," he said, "she ought not to be hard
to find. There are not many trains before seven in the morning, and
most of them are locals."

"And--and if she did not, if he--do you think she is in the
house--or--or--the cellar?"

"Not unless Ladley is more of a fool than I think he is," he said,
smiling. "Personally, I believe she has gone away, as he says she did.
But if she hasn't--He probably took the body with him when he said he
was getting medicine, and dropped it in the current somewhere. But we
must go slow with all this. There's no use shouting 'wolf' yet."

"But--the towel?"

"He may have cut himself, shaving. It _has_ been done."

"And the knife?"

He shrugged his shoulders good-naturedly.

"I've seen a perfectly good knife spoiled opening a bottle of
pickles."

"But the slippers? And the clock?"

"My good woman, enough shoes and slippers are forgotten in the bottoms
of cupboards year after year in flood-time, and are found floating
around the streets, to make all the old-clothesmen in town happy. I
have seen almost everything floating about, during one of these annual