The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-03-25
FICTION

 ing girl as untruthful, but Marsland recalled other things which indicated that she was not averse to seeking refuge in false statements. He remembered her greeting when he had knocked at the farmhouse on the night of the storm. Where have you been?" was the question she put to him, and then she had added, "I have been wondering what could have happened to ycu."
 They were not questions which might req sonably be directed to a chance visitor on such night, and he remembered that there had been a note Of impatience in her voice. This impatience harmonized with the start of surprise which she gave him when he spoke to her. Obviously, she had been ex- pecting some one and had mistaken his knock for the arrival of the man for whom she had been waiting. And yet her subse- quent story to Marsland in explanation of her presence at the farm was that she had been overtaken by the storm and had sought shelter there. She had made no reference to the man whom she had expecte to see when she opened the door in response to Marsland's knock. When directly ques- tioned on the matter, she had declared that t was Frank Lumsden she had expected to see.
 "Whom do the police suspect?" she asked, after the waitress had departed.
 q do not think they suspect any one in particular just yet" he replied.
 Have they no clue of any kind?"
 "They have several clues of kind They have discovered some footprints outside the window of the room in which we sat- The window itself has been forced. And that re- minds me of something else wanted to tell you. The police have naturally questioned me in order to obtain any light can throw on the mystery. One of the first things they asked me was how l got into the house. told them that the door was open, and that as no one came when knocked walked in and sat down. I think that was what you told me you did"
 "Yes," she replied. "The door was open"
 You see, forgot tc fortify myself with a ready-made story which would fit all these questions. The theory of the police at pres ent is that the murderer was in the house all the time we were there'
 "Oh!'' she exclaimed. It was obvious that she was deeply interested in that theory. Be cause of the crash we heard?"
 Partly because of that, and partly be- cause that strange-looking document we found on the stairs has disappeared. It was gone when went back to the house with the police sergeant. Their theory is that the murderer was in the house when I arrived that is, when you arrive, but, of course, they didn't know about your being there. As they reconstruct the tragedy, the murderer was making his way downstairs with the plan in his hand just as I-meaning you-arrived at the door. In his alarm he dropped the plan and retreated upstairs. The crash we heard was made by him knocking down a picture that hung on the wall near the top of the staircase-that is, on the second floor. After we left the house he came down, found the plan in the sitting room and made off with it."
 'To think of his being iii the house all the time was there alonew she said. "It makes me shudder even now"
 "The police are under the impression that they will not have much difficulty in getting hold of him, but, on the other hand, MT. Crewe thinks there are some puzzling, mys- terious features which the police have over- looked"
 "Mr. Crewe" she exclaimed Do you mean the famous London detective?"
 "Yes."
 "How does he come into it?"
 My uncle, Sir George Granville, is re- sponsible for that Perhaps you know him?"
 "I know him by sight," she said
 "1 have been staying with him." continued