The Washington times., 1913-04-18

ala sou VIC NY
An/ plaa," said Gwendofyn.
w Then perhaps you'n apol-
ogize for the word gal
lery.'"
You can't help four people being
more conspicuous than two" said JEFF
frey with shake of the head.
1t needs people to account for tie
car. G~endoln retorted. Jack and /
can do that tonight and tomorrow morn.
ing. We look pretty respectable When
We turn up at the Oldborough hotel
with punctured tire, no matter wha:
time of night IL is. no one will think
that there's anything queer about it.
And you won't have TO appear at all
You're right" said Jeffrey quickly.
Il withdraw :he word gallery and
apologize. In the morning. of course,
you'll start out for town and pick US
up at some lonely bend of the road"
Perhaps" SAID Gwendolyn But VIC
thought wet take two rooms-on the
ground floor, because I'll be nervous
about fire. Well ONLY use one of them
and leave the other 50 that If you hap
pen to need a place to hide in, or
change your clothes again, you will
have ii. Well leave the window open
a little and something, oh! a towel
hanging over the sill so you'll know.
You may not want it. but it may come
in handy"
Jeffrey laughed. Richards says yoI
ought to be member of the force"
he observed. but upon my word, be-
lieve your real talent is for crime"
It's pretty much the same" she
said. rather soberly you've got to
be able to think crimes either TO COM
nit them or 20 detect them"
I'D argue that point with you" said
Jeffrey, ''if duty didn't call me out in
front. That chauffeur of yours knows
the town like the palm of his hand, but
it's a dark night, and once We get ont
on the country roads cat-eyed person
like me, vino can see in the dark will
be helpful"
We didn't Protest very strongly
against his going. because we had seen
from his air of preoccupation that he
wanted the solitude of his own
thoughts rather than our talk.
He opened the door, slipped out on
the running board and clambered to
the seat beside the chauffeur.
His going turned loose = flood OF
questions and surmises. What puz
zIed Jack and me the most was the
object Of this night journey. What
purpose had Jeffrey in mind that
rOCl0 IU1S ruST III lie GdTh,
the risk of detection and capture in
the very act Of committing crime?
For house breaking was a crime.
even if one didn't mean to make away
with the family jewels or plate.
Whatever his object is" said Jack,
why doesn't he tell us?'
"T doubt IL he could tell us any bet
ter than he has" said Gwendolyn.
Hes found out enough. evidently. 70
make IL clear to him that the crime
WAS committed in that house and his
instinct tells him If he can get into
the house and look at the actual scene,
he will see something that will eN-
plain the crime itself"'
Then she set me to work recount
ing the events of the afternoon
Richards call. Jeffrey's arrival and
the narrative of his adventures on
his former visit TO Beech Hill. and
fnallv the coming Of DR.. Crow.
] told his story as nearly as ] could
In his own words. And. as ] told it,
the conviction his narrative had car
lied with IL came back to me.
T declare" 7 concluded. "I don't
see what more there is to eNrlain.
Jeffrey was saying just before Crow
came in that no case was complete rs
long as IL contained a sinple contra
dictory circumstance. Put am blnss-
ed II see any contradiction In shat
because Crows story fits IN absolute
" with Richards present theory Of
the case. with Mrs Ba-ton's confess
sion and what Jeffrev himself heard
IN his stateroom On the night boat"
''Svhat was II that Mr. Jeffrey said