The Riddle of the Frozen Flame

in the middle of the uninhabited Fens to mark the spot. And Nigel Merriton, whose guest the man was, must o

recollected that Merriton had locked it the night before. There

now anything of sleeping draughts," said the d

o his lips, no little mocking jest to help on the job. There was something grim in the set of West's lips, and in the tension of the doctor's slight figure. Tragedy had stalked unnoti

oor swung inward. The doctor crossed to the bedside and took

harply once or twice

The performance was repeat

ke up-wake up! We

red suddenly and wren

e, anyhow, so part of our score is marked off! Let go, I say-I-I-Doctor Bartholomew! What in Heaven's

struggled to a sitting position

en ghosts would be better than-nothing at al

en

fter we'd got you to bed we thought we'd make up a search party among ourselves an

ossi

chord of sympathy in the doctor's heart. He alone of all of them had guessed at the genuineness of Nigel'

been raining and it was extremely easy to do-until they suddenly ended in a patch of half-charred grass. It was uncanny! We made a further search to make sure, but

od

, and his fingers droppe

n!" he broke out suddenly. "The thi

must communicate with the police. That's the next thing to do. We'll send over to make sure Wynne isn'

be able to do for us I don't know. It's a one-horse show in the village, and the chap who's chief constable was the fellow who told me of the other man that disappeared, a

ndertone, but the doctor heard them,

rse. And you-never mind. Our next

constabulary training in every way. He said he would do what he could, but he would certainly attempt nothing until broad daylight. He believed the story in every part

nne had not put in an appearance at Withersby Hall. Brellier himself answered the phone, and said that he was

around about one o'clock, and Wynne left you soon aft

Merriton, as a rather shamefaced explanation. Then he fairly

to investigate the flames, Merriton? What f

of the chaps here set up a search-party to hunt for him. They discovered nothing. Simply some charred grass in the middle of the Fens and the end of his footprints.... So he didn't come round to yo

receiver with

we'll just have to possess our souls in patience, and see what Constable Haggers can do for us. I vote we tumble in fo

ds. The local police could make nothing of it. They had had such cases before, and were perfectly willing to let the matter rest where it was.

est in Merriton's house. The subject did not die with the owner of Merriton Towers. He spent many long evenings with Doctor Bartholomew talking the thing over, trying to reconstruct it, probe into it, hunt

a time the perfection of it. He could not think of marriage while the

s getting morbid about i

of your friends," was West's adv

em closer together. She, too, felt that marriage was for the time being unthinkable, and despite Brellier's c

ng weeks and days that followed, "if I grow gray-headed in the attempt. Dacre Wynne was no true frien

d in store for them both, would he still

hat he had shown his companions that eventful night. And always the flames danced on their maddening way, mocking him, holding behind the screen of their

nge for having stolen 'Toinette's heart away from him? To have died and sent his spirit back to haunt