the excellence of your disguise," she remarked with a faint curl
of the lips, "I might find it somewhat difficult to explain your
presence if my aunt or any visitors should come in."

"I am sorry, Miss Morse," the Inspector said quietly, "to find
you so unsympathetic. Had I found you differently disposed, I was
going to ask you to put yourself in my place. I was going to ask
you to look at these two tragedies from my point of view and from
your own at the same time, and I was going to ask you whether any
possible motive suggested itself to you, any possible person or
cause, which might be benefited by the removal of these two men."

"If you think, Mr. Jacks," Penelope said, "that I am keeping
anything from you, you are very much mistaken. Such sympathy as I
have would certainly be with those who are attempting to bring to
justice the perpetrator of such unmentionable crimes. What I
object to is the unpleasantness of being associated with your
inquiries when I am absolutely unable to give you the least help,
or to supply you with any information which is not equally
attainable to you."

"As, for instance?" the Inspector asked.

"You are a detective," Penelope said coldly. "You do not need me
to point out certain things to you. Mr. Hamilton Fynes was robbed
and murdered--an American citizen on his way to London. Mr.
Richard Vanderpole is also murdered, after a call upon Mr. James
B. Coulson, the only acquaintance whom Mr. Fynes is known to have
possessed in this country. Did Mr. Fynes share secrets with Mr.
Coulson? If so, did Mr. Coulson pass them on to Mr. Vanderpole,