to me interrupted quickly and after all you have watched her for the last few days without seeing anything suspicious mrs is a sly creature who will not give herself away easily returned the i shall continue to watch her there s ten o clock he added as the mellow tones of the church bell floated through the warm night we must not keep miss from her beauty sleep did not suggest that they should remain although she would have liked to speak privately with her lover but while was at his elbow that was impossible and she did not wish to talk freely in the presence of a man she the two young men said good night to their hostess and went away leaving in anything but a happy frame of mind what had been suggested about her the lost father trading with the housekeeper worried her considerably there might or might not be some truth in the idea she tried to dismiss it from her mind but it would not be dismissed and troubled her far into the small hours of the morning meanwhile and his friends sauntered leisurely homeward it was so hot that they did not wear coats over their evening suit and so dry that they walked to and from the cottage in shoes the sky was radiant with innumerable stars and although there was no moon there was ample light in which to see surrounding objects through the shadowy world warm and peaceful the young men wandered taking their way across the fields as the high road was so dusty and hard for a time neither spoke for each was busy with his own thoughts which had to do with the case finally broke the silence and spoke soft as though he feared listeners i did not press my point he remarked significantly as the little i did say rather offended miss you were rather about her father you know if the saying that the greater the truth the greater the is true i certainly was retorted the for what i said i hold to that mrs is the guilty person yes and that she is trading with to give him what he wants the will of course i am as certain of that fact as i am that i live she has the will and she to deliver it to him � if she hasn t done so on on the track condition that he gives her the two hundred a year which she told her son comes from a aunt well said after a pause since was willing to come to terms with me i see no reason why he should not come to terms with mrs always provided that she is guilty she is insisted it is no use my giving you my reasons again i think if things are as you say i don t see how mrs s part of the business can be concealed the will is of no use to unless he makes it public and if he does he will have to explain how he became possessed of it i suppose his confession of the deal with mrs would bring him into trouble as an af ter the f act it would and i am wondering how to make himself safe on that score there is only one thing to be done we must wait until produces the will then we can move it s an infernal business altogether growled the big man and i wish we were all well out of it i don t want to get into any trouble for s sake i think you can be pretty certain that will look after his own precious skin said the and if � hush � not a word he dropped his voice to a whisper who s that what looked round as caught his arm and pulled him off the into a of don t speak whispered with his mouth close to s ear and button your coat as well as you can over your shirt front the white the lost may betray us he acted on his own advice and kept well behind the shelter of the leafy trees now watch did so with all his eyes straining his sight through the shadowy night and by this time had seen the reason of s action and caution the two men had reached the red brick wall which ran round the park and saw that the gate through which they intended to pass was open a tall dark figure in flowing robes was slipping out and when pulled his friend into shelter behind the the woman � for such it was � closed the stealthily after a glance to right and left she walked swiftly along the going in the direction whence the had as she swept past the nearly uttered an exclamation for in spite of the black silk hood pulled well over her head and face he was absolutely certain that this night was none other than his respectable housekeeper what she was doing outside the house at this time of night and whither she was going he could not conjecture but could and when the woman passed away into the shadows he whispered an explanation it s mrs she s going to look for the will quick let us follow but take care she doesn t see us the will breathed cautiously as they stole out on the trail what do you mean she has hidden the will somewhere i am sure and now is going to get it we will catch her if we are careful what luck but it s impossible and don t talk interrupted in a savage on the track s whisper do you want to give the show away it s a wonderful chance of learning the truth come silently agreed with his companion although he found it hard to believe that mrs was such a 