she reached home, that also looked strange to her, and even her
husband's face in the window had an expression which she had never
seen before. So also had Horace Allen's. Both men were in the south
room. There was in their faces no expression which seemed to denote a
cessation of conversation. In fact, nothing had passed between the
two men except the simple statement to each other of the news which
both had heard. Henry had made no comment, neither had Horace. Both
had set, with gloomy, shocked faces, entirely still. But Sylvia, when
she entered, forced the situation.

"Why should she kill a steady boarder, much as she needed one?" she
queried.

And Horace responded at once. "There is no possible motive," he said.
"The arrest is a mere farce. It will surely prove so."

Then Henry spoke. "I don't understand, for my part, why she is
arrested at all," he said, grimly.

Horace laughed as grimly. "Because there is no one else to arrest,
and the situation seems to call for some action," he replied.

"But they must have some reason."

"All the reason was the girl's (Hannah Simmons, I believe her name
is) seeming to be keeping something back, and saying that Miss Hart
gave Miss Farrel some essence of peppermint last night, and the fact
that the stable-boy seems to be in love with Hannah, and jealous and
eager to do her mistress some mischief, and has hinted at knowing
something, which I don't believe, for my part, he does."