The Crooked House

an

I understand that you were the last

I was," Tra

again at the table, and

from the time you went out into the garden afte

he evening seemed to have upset her very much, and she was nervous of the storm. We walke

in that part of the garden?

ecame very vivid, Miss Manderson said she would return to the house, and asked me to go do

o show me the place

member that we had just passed under a

way from the house than the s

about half-way between the house and the

half-way to the house before the attack

er calculated, "I should say rough

lk to the house imme

that direction as I s

e met the criminal, whoever it was, at the

she must," T

re she might have met the young man, Layton, who was, it a

ut the chase. If I had known that Layton was

ou find Mr.

he la

ter you part

minutes. F

he al

ss Manderson himself. He we

hile the inspector

d that it is only a suggestion, but I want to be perfectly clear. Considering that this was the evening of Miss Manderson's engagement to Mr. Copplest

r hesi

she might,"

was looking

he said smoothly. "Perh

ause. Tranter was p

you everything-but I should be obliged if for obvious r

inspector firmly, "you mus

nter said. "The truth is-I h

the inspe

ars ago, in Chicago. Her real n

to brighten. He turned to a

ight, when she went on the stage in N

or Fay

e? The Chicag

called her that," Tra

l Cranbourne, son of Joshua

her," Tranter replied. "He was a scoundrel. What

r was making

an are always many degrees blacker than the sins of a plain one. We became very intimate-and I am afraid I allowed her to expect more from me than I

tion had crept

nversation with her, were you wa

ding

ear any one moving about near you

N

about, where some one might

r replied. "But I did not n

to point it out

bility of being overheard certainly did not occur to me. I am afraid

or closed h

Will you tell me whether the announcement of Mr. Copplestone's engagement to Miss Manderson prod

ws to Mrs. Astley-Rolfe," Tranter replied

t, to be a conside

es

when this young man, J

Dupont and I ha

iss Manderson to become engaged to Mr. Coppleston

re his ex

specto

nsieur Dupont here with you as yo

arrived in Lon

know h

der a great obligation to him. He s

ss that has brought him to this country?

d come to solve

smile passed over t

urn here at ten o'clock in the morning-and bring Monsieur Dupont with you-I sh

om was very quiet. The danseuse had subsided into an interim condition of mute tension. Mrs. Astl

olfe," the ins