know."
"That is not consistent with the rest of your evidence," he pointed out. "You ask me to believe in a state of confidence existing between you and your husband that was unaccompanied by any great depth of affection, yet at the same time you wish me to believe that it is impossible for you to make a clean breast of the whole story to him."
She swallowed and said: "I do not wish to be dragged through the Divorce Courts, Superintendent."
He raised his eyes. "There is, then, so little confidence between you that you were afraid your husband might do that?"
"Yes," she said, doggedly returning his look.
"You had no fear that he might, instead, be - very angry - with the man who had put you in this unpleasant position?"
"None," she said flatly.
He allowed a pause to follow. When he spoke again, it was with an abruptness that startled her. "A few minutes ago you repeated words to me which you heard Mr. Fletcher utter when he passed down the garden-path with his visitor. How was it that you were able to hear these so clearly, and yet distinguish nothing that his companion said?"
"I have told you that Mr. Fletcher had a light, rather high-pitched voice. If you have ever been with a deaf person you must know that such a voice has a far greater carrying power than a low one."
Apparently he accepted this explanation, for he nodded, and got up. "Very well, Mrs. North. And now, if you are willing, your finger-prints."
A quarter of an hour later, when Helen had left the police station, he sat down again at his desk, and meditatively studied certain notes which he had jotted down on a slip of paper.
Evidence of PC Glass: At 10.02, man seen coming out of garden gate. Evidence of Helen North: At 9.58, approximately, unknown man escorted to garden mate by Fletcher.
He was still looking pensively at these scribblings when PC Glass entered the office to report that no trace of any weapon had been found in the garden at Greystones.
Hannasyde gave a grunt, but said as Glass turned towards the door: Just a moment. Are you certain that the time when you saw a man come out of the gardengate was two minutes after ten?"
"Yes, sir."
"It could not, for instance, have been two or three minutes before ten?"
"No, sir. The time, by my watch and the clock in the room, was 10.05 p.m. when I entered the study. Therefore I am doubly certain, for to reach that room from the point where I was standing was a matter of three minutes, not of seven."
Hannasyde nodded. "All right; that's all. Report to Sergeant Hemingway in the morning."
"Yes, sir," Glass replied, but added darkly: "He that hath a froward heart findeth no good."
"I daresay," said Hannasyde discouragingly.
"And he that hath a perverse tongue falleth into mischief," said Glass with a good deal of severity.
Whether this pessimistic utterance referred to himself or to the absent Sergeant, Hannasyde did not inquire. As Glass walked towards the door, the telephone-bell rang, and the voice of the constable on duty informed the Superintendent that Sergeant Hemingway was on the line.
The Sergeant sounded less gloomy than when Hannasyde had parted from him. "That you, sir?" he asked briskly. "Well, I've got something, though where it's going to lead us I don't see. Shall I come down?"
"No, I'm coming back to town; I'll see you there. Any luck with those prints?"
"Depends what you call luck, Super. Some of 'em belong to a bloke by the name of Charlie Carpenter."
"Carpenter?" repeated Hannasyde. "Who the dickens is he?"
"It's a long story - what you might call highly involved," replied the Sergeant.
"All right: reserve it. I'll be up in about half-anhour."
"Right you are, Chief. Give my love to Ichabod!" said the Sergeant.
Hannasyde grinned as he laid down the receiver, but refrained from delivering a message which, judging by Glass's forbidding countenance, would not be well received. He said kindly: "Well, Glass, you've been doing a lot of work on this case. You'll be glad to hear
"That is not consistent with the rest of your evidence," he pointed out. "You ask me to believe in a state of confidence existing between you and your husband that was unaccompanied by any great depth of affection, yet at the same time you wish me to believe that it is impossible for you to make a clean breast of the whole story to him."
She swallowed and said: "I do not wish to be dragged through the Divorce Courts, Superintendent."
He raised his eyes. "There is, then, so little confidence between you that you were afraid your husband might do that?"
"Yes," she said, doggedly returning his look.
"You had no fear that he might, instead, be - very angry - with the man who had put you in this unpleasant position?"
"None," she said flatly.
He allowed a pause to follow. When he spoke again, it was with an abruptness that startled her. "A few minutes ago you repeated words to me which you heard Mr. Fletcher utter when he passed down the garden-path with his visitor. How was it that you were able to hear these so clearly, and yet distinguish nothing that his companion said?"
"I have told you that Mr. Fletcher had a light, rather high-pitched voice. If you have ever been with a deaf person you must know that such a voice has a far greater carrying power than a low one."
Apparently he accepted this explanation, for he nodded, and got up. "Very well, Mrs. North. And now, if you are willing, your finger-prints."
A quarter of an hour later, when Helen had left the police station, he sat down again at his desk, and meditatively studied certain notes which he had jotted down on a slip of paper.
Evidence of PC Glass: At 10.02, man seen coming out of garden gate. Evidence of Helen North: At 9.58, approximately, unknown man escorted to garden mate by Fletcher.
He was still looking pensively at these scribblings when PC Glass entered the office to report that no trace of any weapon had been found in the garden at Greystones.
Hannasyde gave a grunt, but said as Glass turned towards the door: Just a moment. Are you certain that the time when you saw a man come out of the gardengate was two minutes after ten?"
"Yes, sir."
"It could not, for instance, have been two or three minutes before ten?"
"No, sir. The time, by my watch and the clock in the room, was 10.05 p.m. when I entered the study. Therefore I am doubly certain, for to reach that room from the point where I was standing was a matter of three minutes, not of seven."
Hannasyde nodded. "All right; that's all. Report to Sergeant Hemingway in the morning."
"Yes, sir," Glass replied, but added darkly: "He that hath a froward heart findeth no good."
"I daresay," said Hannasyde discouragingly.
"And he that hath a perverse tongue falleth into mischief," said Glass with a good deal of severity.
Whether this pessimistic utterance referred to himself or to the absent Sergeant, Hannasyde did not inquire. As Glass walked towards the door, the telephone-bell rang, and the voice of the constable on duty informed the Superintendent that Sergeant Hemingway was on the line.
The Sergeant sounded less gloomy than when Hannasyde had parted from him. "That you, sir?" he asked briskly. "Well, I've got something, though where it's going to lead us I don't see. Shall I come down?"
"No, I'm coming back to town; I'll see you there. Any luck with those prints?"
"Depends what you call luck, Super. Some of 'em belong to a bloke by the name of Charlie Carpenter."
"Carpenter?" repeated Hannasyde. "Who the dickens is he?"
"It's a long story - what you might call highly involved," replied the Sergeant.
"All right: reserve it. I'll be up in about half-anhour."
"Right you are, Chief. Give my love to Ichabod!" said the Sergeant.
Hannasyde grinned as he laid down the receiver, but refrained from delivering a message which, judging by Glass's forbidding countenance, would not be well received. He said kindly: "Well, Glass, you've been doing a lot of work on this case. You'll be glad to hear
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