"They are a very astute and unscrupulous pair. While suspicion
was to be directed against him, she would be making quiet
preparations for a very different denouement. She arrives from
Middlingham with all the compromising items in her possession.
No suspicion attaches to her. No notice is paid to her coming
and going in the house. She hides the strychnine and glasses in
John's room. She puts the beard in the attic. She will see to
it that sooner or later they are duly discovered."
"I don't quite see why they tried to fix the blame on John," I
remarked. "It would have been much easier for them to bring the
crime home to Lawrence."
"Yes, but that was mere chance. All the evidence against him
arose out of pure accident. It must, in fact, have been
distinctly annoying to the pair of schemers."
"His manner was unfortunate," I observed thoughtfully.
"Yes. You realize, of course, what was at the back of that?"
"No."
"You did not understand that he believed Mademoiselle Cynthia
guilty of the crime?"
"No," I exclaimed, astonished.
Pages:
288
289
290
291
292
293
294
295
296
297
298
299
300
301
302
303
304
305
306
307
308
309
310
311
312