Evening star., 1924-03-25
CHAPTER XXIII.
Smith Reports Progress.


Darrell Tress started out of the
gloomy silence which he had main
tanned while HeXtall and Smith talk
ed, and he glanced at his valet with
suspicion.
What is it now, Fowler" he de-
manded. Something else gone wrong?
I'm about sick of this! What's hap
pened?"
Fowler gave the other members of
the group comprehensive glance.
It's Walters sir" he answered
Darrell started again-violently,
this time. He turned to Hextall and
his face paled.
''Walters!" he exclaimed. What"
lie stopped abruptly, still staring
ly to the valet.
What is it, Fowler" hr asked
~ hat about Walters?"
Il think he's gone out OF his mind
sir, replied Fowler. Seems like it,
anyway. After you and Mr. Tress
had gone out this morning we heard
about Miss Brock. sir-a boy came
round selling newspapers, and / got
one. And bit after that l found
Walters sitting in the hall, crying
and noaninP Then he began to say
sll sorts of queer things: mixing a lot
OF things up. ! made out that he
seemed to me that the sudden news
of her death had thrown him clean
off his balance. He talked a lot
wildly, you understand, sir-about
murder, and reVolverS, and l don't
know what, and at last he said some
thing about telling the police all he
knew, and suddenly, before I could
stop him, he clapped on his hat and
set off out of the fiat. saying some
thing about keeping things to him
selt no longer and going to Scotland
Yard. And so l thought I'd better
come after you, sir-I knew where
you'd gone"
Hextall motioned to Darrell to get
into the waiting taSicab. He turned
and spoke to Smith.
Follow on to the fiat with Styler
ami Fowler-at once he said in a
low voice. You may be useful I'll
go straight there with Tress-I want
TO speak to him
AS the first cab drove off Darrell
sank back into the corner with a
grnan of despair.
Its all up, Hextall" he exclaimed
1T lat ass will have gone to the de-
testives, and told them all about Pa
qu'ta and the sleep-walking affair.
And now they'll come and arrest her!
Not on that evidence, 1 think"
said HeXtall. They'd want some
thing more than that, l fancy, before
the y'd go to that length"
.r'eNertheless. though he put as
much assurance into his voice as he
cot Id, he was by no means easy about
this sudden and unexpected turn in
affairs. He OF course, had never an
.ic pated that such a turn could take
place. But now he saw how very
ma urally it had happened. Walters,
cherishing a secret passion for the
goTerness, had doubtless been thrown
off his mental balance by the news of
her tragic death. and had at once
plunged into a mass OF morbid imag-
inings concerning the mystery, out of
which one impression would certain
ly stand Clcar-that he had actually
seen PaQuita with revolver in her
hand on the night of the murder OF
kesteven. And that impression would
lead to further ina aginingS-he had
probably seen some deep-laid scheme
of murder in which Kesteven was but
one victim and Miss Brock another,
and his promises OF secrecy and si-
lence had been at once forgotten,
and he had rushed off to the police to
blUrt out all he knew.
An awkward situation he con-
tinued, after brief silence; but I
don't think the police would arrest
your sister on what Walters can tell
afraid we must be prepared to meet
some inquiry from them"
Darrell growled resentfully. He
beEan to mutter complaints about in
reference: he had left Lynne Court
because of the publicity drawn upon
1t by the kesteven affair, and now
more publicity was going to come
upon him in London. He ought, he
said, to have followed his first in
sti1ct, and taken his sister and
brother away to the continent.
I've afraid you couldn't have done
that" said Hextall. You'll be want
ed as a witness more than once yet,
you know. And, of course, we never
foresaw that things would turn out
in this way, nor imagined that Wal
ters was in love with the governess.
After all, he may not have gone to
the police"
But an hour later, as they were
discussing matters with Smith and
Queen Anne street, Fowler announced
two visitors, who, on being shown in,
proved to be from New Scotland
Yard. Walters hid gone straight to