Evening star., 1932-06-30


live IN this out Of the way part. Mother
lost her temper with them yesterday
evening and has sent them all pack
ing. They are going after lunch. We
are going to get two men instead.
think 1t viii answer much better"
Servants are silly, aren't they?" said
Emily.
1T isn't even as if Capt. Trevelyan
had been killed in this house"
What made you think Of coming to
live here?" asked Emily, trying 10 make
the question sound artless and girl
ishly natural
"Oh. we thought 1t would be rather
fun" said Violet
Don't you find it rather dull?"
"Oh, no, love the country"
But her eyes avoided Emily's Just.
for moment she looked suspicious and
afraid
She stirred uneasily in her chair and
Emily rose rather reluctantly to her
feet
Il must be going now" she said
THANK you so much, Miss Willett.
do hope your mother will be ali right.
"Oh. she's quite well. really. It's
only the servantS-and all the worry"
Adroitly, unperceived by the other,
Emily managed TO discard her gloves on
a small table The parlor maid who
had opened the door TO Emily had un-
locked it, but as Violet Willett closed
It behind her retreating guest Emily
caught no sound Of the key being
turned. When she reached the gate.
therefore, she retraced her steps slowly.
Her visit had more than confirmed
the theories she held about Sittaford
House. There was something queer
going on here. She didn't think Violet
Willett was directly implicated-that Is,
unless she was a very clever actress,
indeed. But there was something
wrong, and that something must have
connection with the tragedy. There
must be some link between the Willetts
and Capt. Trevelyan, and in that lnk
there might lie the clue to the whole
she came up to the front door, turned
the handle very gently and passed
across the threshold. The hall was de-
serted. Emily had her excuse-the
gloves left thoughtfully behind in the
drawing room She stood stock still,
listening. There was no sound any
where except very faint murnur OF
voices from upstairs. As quietly as pos
sible Emily crept to the foot OF the
stairs and stood looking up. Then, very
gingerly she assembled step at a time.
This was rather more risky. She could
hardly pretend that her gloves had
walked Of their own accord to the first
floor but she had a burning desire TO
overhear something of the conversation
that was going on upstairs. Modern
builders never made their doors mt well,
! in Emily's opinion. You could hear
murmur Of voices down here. There
fore, If you reached the door itself you
would hear plainly the conversation
that was going on inside the room.
Two women's voices-Violet and her
mother without doubt.
Suddenly there was break In the
conversational sound OF a tootStep.
Emily retreated rapidly.
When Violet Willett opened her
mothers door and came down the
stairs she was surprised to find her
late guest standing in the hall peering
about her in lost dog kind Of way.
My gloves" she explained :! must
have left them. came back Tor them.
Il expect they are in here" said
Violet
They went into the drawing room
and there, sure enough, on little table
near where Emily had been sitting lay
the missing gloves
"Oh, thank you" said Emily 'It's so
stupid of me. I am always leaving
, things"
Once again they parted at the hall
door, and this time Emily heard the key
being turned in the lock.
She went down the drive with plenty
to think ebout, for, as that door on the
upper landing had opened, she had
| heard distinctly one sentence spoken In
an older woman's fretful and plainttVe
voice:
MY God" the voice had walled. II
can't bear it. viii tonight never Gomez"
Emily arrived back at the cottage TO
find her boy friend absent. He had.
Mrs Curtis explained, gone off with
| several other young gentlemen. but two
kilograms had come for the young LADY
Emily took them. read them, ana put
them in the pocket of her sweater.
At the moment she felt disinelined
for anything but solitude. She wanted
to sort out and arrange her own ideas.
She went up to her own room, and TAX
ing pencil and note paper, she set to
work on a system of her own. After
20 minutes Of this exericSe she was in
terrupted by Ar. Enderby.
"Hullo, hullo, hullo, there you are.
Fleet street has been hard on your
tracks all morning but they have just
missed you everywhere. Anyway, they
have had it from me that you are not
to be worried. AS far as you're con-
cerned, 1 am the big noise'
He sat down on the chair, Emily was
occupying the bed, and chuckled.
Envy and malice isn't in i'll" he said.
Il have been handing them out the
goods. know every one and am
right in il. It's too good to be true.
keep pinching myself and feeling I win
wake up in minute. I say, have you
noticed the fog?"
1T won't stop me going to Exeter
this afternoon, will it?" said Emily.
do you want to go to Exeter?"
"YeS, I have to meet Mr.. Dacres
there. My solicitor, you know-the one
who is undertaking Jim's defense. He
wants to see me. And / think shall
pay visit to Jim's Aunt Jennifer while
am there. After all, Exeter is only
half an hour away"
Meaning she might have nipped over
by train and batted her brother over
the head and nobody would have no
ticed her absence"
'Oh. know It sounds rather improb-
able, but one has to go into everything.
Not that I want it to be Aunt Jen-
nifer-I don't. I would much rather 1t
was Martin Dering hate the sort Of
man who presumes on going to be q
brother-in-law and does things in pub
lie that you can't smack his face for"
rs he that kind?"
Very much that kind He's an ideal
person for a murderer-always getting
kilograms from bookmakers and losing
money on horses. It's annoying that
he's got such a good alihi. Mr.. Dacres
told me about it. A publisher and
literary dinner seems so very unhreak-
able and respectable"
"A literary dinner" said Enderby.
Friday night. Martin Dering-let me
See-Martin Dering why, yes I am
almost sure of it Dash il all am
quite sure of it, but I can cIinch things
by wiring to Csrruthers."
What are you talking sbout?" said
Emily. Ito be continued)
PROPOSALS.