There were just three impressions; and, whereas the blurred marks
were at the side, these three pointed straight from the middle of
the glass doors to the drive. They were quite clearly defined, and
all three were the impressions made by a woman's small, arched,
high-heeled shoe. The position of the marks was at first sight a
little peculiar. There was one a good yard from the window, the
impression of the right foot, and the pressure of the sole of the
shoe was more marked than that of the heel. The second, the
impression of the left foot, was not quite so far from the first
as the first was from the window, and here again the heel was the
more lightly defined. But there was this difference--the mark of
the toe, which was pointed in the first instance, was, in this,
broader and a trifle blurred. Close beside it the right foot was
again visible; only now the narrow heel was more clearly defined
than the ball of the foot. It had, indeed, sunk half an inch into
the soft ground. There were no further imprints. Indeed, these two
were not merely close together, they were close to the gravel of
the drive and on the very border of the grass.

Hanaud looked at the marks thoughtfully. Then he turned to the
Commissaire.

"Are there any shoes in the house which fit those marks?"

"Yes. We have tried the shoes of all the women--Celie Harland, the
maid, and even Mme. Dauvray. The only ones which fit at all are
those taken from Celie Harland's bedroom."

He called to an officer standing in the drive, and a pair of grey