"I was not sleeping well," she began, "partly, I think, because I had

slept during the afternoon. Liddy brought me some hot milk at ten

o'clock and I slept until twelve. Then I wakened and--I got to

thinking about things, and worrying, so I could not go to sleep.

"I was wondering why I had not heard from Arnold since the--since I saw

him that night at the lodge. I was afraid he was ill, because--he was

to have done something for me, and he had not come back. It must have

been three when I heard some one rapping. I sat up and listened, to be

quite sure, and the rapping kept up. It was cautious, and I was about

to call Liddy.

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"Then suddenly I thought I knew what it was. The east entrance and the

circular staircase were always used by Arnold when he was out late, and

sometimes, when he forgot his key, he would rap and I would go down and

let him in. I thought he had come back to see me--I didn't think about

the time, for his hours were always erratic. But I was afraid I was

too weak to get down the stairs.

"The knocking kept up, and just as I was about to call Liddy, she ran

through the room and out into the hall. I got up then, feeling weak

and dizzy, and put on my dressing-gown. If it was Arnold, I knew I

must see him.

"It was very dark everywhere, but, of course, I knew my way. I felt

along for the stair-rail, and went down as quickly as I could. The

knocking had stopped, and I was afraid I was too late. I got to the

foot of the staircase and over to the door on to the east veranda. I

had never thought of anything but that it was Arnold, until I reached

the door. It was unlocked and opened about an inch. Everything was

black: it was perfectly dark outside. I felt very queer and shaky.

Then I thought perhaps Arnold had used his key; he did--strange things

sometimes, and I turned around. Just as I reached the foot of the

staircase I thought I heard some one coming. My nerves were going

anyhow, there in the dark, and I could scarcely stand. I got up as far

as the third or fourth step; then I felt that some one was coming

toward me on the staircase. The next instant a hand met mine on the

stair-rail. Some one brushed past me, and I screamed. Then I must

have fainted."

That was Louise's story. There could be no doubt of its truth, and the

thing that made it inexpressibly awful to me was that the poor girl had

crept down to answer the summons of a brother who would never need her

kindly offices again. Twice now, without apparent cause, some one had

entered the house by means of the east entrance: had apparently gone

his way unhindered through the house, and gone out again as he had

entered. Had this unknown visitor been there a third time, the night

Arnold Armstrong was murdered? Or a fourth, the time Mr. Jamieson had

locked some one in the clothes chute?




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