for me to his hotel in Guelph street--the Avon Hotel, you
know. He will insist on a fire even in June, and the room was
so hot that I caught cold when I came out. I had to go down
to Rexton to-day on his business, and put on a coat so as to
avoid catching further cold. But why this room, Juliet?"

"Father and Basil are in the drawing-room. They are talking
of the murder, and I don't want to hear any more about it."

"There are pleasanter things to talk about," said Mallow. "I
knew Basil would come crammed with news. Has he told you--"

"He told us everything he could gather from the detective. It
seems that the crime is quite a mystery."

"Quite. Why your aunt should be killed, or how the assassin
escaped, after killing her, cannot be discovered. Jennings is
in high glee about it. He loves a puzzle of this sort."

"Do you know him?" asked Juliet anxiously.

"Oh, yes. Jennings is a gentleman. He was at Eton with me.
But he ran through his money and took up the detective
business. He is very clever, and if anyone will learn the
truth, he will. Now, my theory--"

Juliet put her hand over his mouth. "Don't," she said. "I
have had enough horrors for this afternoon. Let us talk of
ourselves."