and see what's going to happen to you later on."
The owner of the Red House had had enough of his brother's sponging,
his brother's blackmail; now it was Mark's turn to get a bit of his own
back. Let Robert just wait a bit, and he would see. The conversation
which Elsie had overheard might have meant something like this. It
couldn't have meant murder. Anyway not murder of Robert by Mark.
"It's a funny business," thought Antony. "The one obvious solution is so
easy and yet so wrong. And I've got a hundred things in my head, and I
can't fit them together. And this afternoon will make a hundred and one.
I mustn't forget this afternoon."
He found Bill in the hall and proposed a stroll. Bill was only too
ready. "Where do you want to go?" he asked.
"I don't mind much. Show me the park."
"Righto."
They walked out together.
"Watson, old man," said Antony, as soon as they were away from the
house, "you really mustn't talk so loudly indoors. There was a gentleman
outside, just behind you, all the time."
"Oh, I say," said Bill, going pink. "I'm awfully sorry. So that's why
you were talking such rot."
"Partly, yes. And partly because I do feel rather bright this morning.
We're going to have a busy day."
"Are we really? What are we going to do?"
"They're going to drag the pond—beg its pardon, the lake. Where is the
lake?"
"We're on the way to it now, if you'd like to see it."
"We may as well look at it. Do you haunt the lake much in the ordinary
way?"
"Oh, no, rather not. There's nothing to do there."
"You can't bathe?"
"Well, I shouldn't care to. Too dirty."
"I see.... This is the way we came yesterday, isn't it? The way to the
village?"
"Yes. We go off a bit to the right directly. What are they dragging it
for?"
"Mark."
"Oh, rot," said Bill uneasily. He was silent for a little, and then,
forgetting his uncomfortable thoughts in his sudden remembrance of the
exciting times they were having, said eagerly, "I say, when are we going
to look for that passage?"
"We can't do very much while Cayley's in the house."
"What about this afternoon when they're dragging the pond? He's sure to
be there."
Antony shook his head.
"There's something I must do this afternoon," he said. "Of course we
might have time for both."
"Has Cayley got to be out of the house for the other thing too?"
"Well, I think he ought to be."
"I say, is it anything rather exciting?"
"I don't know. It might be rather interesting. I daresay I could do it
at some other time, but I rather fancy it at three o'clock, somehow.
I've been specially keeping it back for then."
"I say, what fun! You do want me, don't you?"
"Of course I do. Only, Bill don't talk about things inside the house,
unless I begin. There's a good Watson."
"I won't. I swear I won't."
They had come to the pond—Mark's lake—and they walked silently round
it. When they had made the circle, Antony sat down on the grass, and
relit his pipe. Bill followed his example.
"Well, Mark isn't there," said Antony.
"No," said Bill. "At least, I don't quite see why you know he isn't."
"It isn't 'knowing,' it's 'guessing,'" said Antony rapidly. "It's much
easier to shoot yourself than to drown yourself, and if Mark had wanted
to shoot himself in the water, with some idea of not letting the body be
found, he'd have put big stones in his pockets, and the only big stones
are near the water's edge, and they would have left marks, and they
haven't, and therefore he didn't, and oh, bother the pond; that can wait
till this afternoon. Bill, where does the secret passage begin?"
"Well, that's what we've got to find out, isn't it?"
"Yes. You see, my idea is this."
He explained his reasons for thinking that the secret of the passage was
concerned in some way with the secret of Robert's death, and went on:
"My theory is that Mark discovered the passage about a year ago the
time when he began to get keen on croquet. The passage came out into
the floor of the shed, and probably it was Cayley's idea to put
The owner of the Red House had had enough of his brother's sponging,
his brother's blackmail; now it was Mark's turn to get a bit of his own
back. Let Robert just wait a bit, and he would see. The conversation
which Elsie had overheard might have meant something like this. It
couldn't have meant murder. Anyway not murder of Robert by Mark.
"It's a funny business," thought Antony. "The one obvious solution is so
easy and yet so wrong. And I've got a hundred things in my head, and I
can't fit them together. And this afternoon will make a hundred and one.
I mustn't forget this afternoon."
He found Bill in the hall and proposed a stroll. Bill was only too
ready. "Where do you want to go?" he asked.
"I don't mind much. Show me the park."
"Righto."
They walked out together.
"Watson, old man," said Antony, as soon as they were away from the
house, "you really mustn't talk so loudly indoors. There was a gentleman
outside, just behind you, all the time."
"Oh, I say," said Bill, going pink. "I'm awfully sorry. So that's why
you were talking such rot."
"Partly, yes. And partly because I do feel rather bright this morning.
We're going to have a busy day."
"Are we really? What are we going to do?"
"They're going to drag the pond—beg its pardon, the lake. Where is the
lake?"
"We're on the way to it now, if you'd like to see it."
"We may as well look at it. Do you haunt the lake much in the ordinary
way?"
"Oh, no, rather not. There's nothing to do there."
"You can't bathe?"
"Well, I shouldn't care to. Too dirty."
"I see.... This is the way we came yesterday, isn't it? The way to the
village?"
"Yes. We go off a bit to the right directly. What are they dragging it
for?"
"Mark."
"Oh, rot," said Bill uneasily. He was silent for a little, and then,
forgetting his uncomfortable thoughts in his sudden remembrance of the
exciting times they were having, said eagerly, "I say, when are we going
to look for that passage?"
"We can't do very much while Cayley's in the house."
"What about this afternoon when they're dragging the pond? He's sure to
be there."
Antony shook his head.
"There's something I must do this afternoon," he said. "Of course we
might have time for both."
"Has Cayley got to be out of the house for the other thing too?"
"Well, I think he ought to be."
"I say, is it anything rather exciting?"
"I don't know. It might be rather interesting. I daresay I could do it
at some other time, but I rather fancy it at three o'clock, somehow.
I've been specially keeping it back for then."
"I say, what fun! You do want me, don't you?"
"Of course I do. Only, Bill don't talk about things inside the house,
unless I begin. There's a good Watson."
"I won't. I swear I won't."
They had come to the pond—Mark's lake—and they walked silently round
it. When they had made the circle, Antony sat down on the grass, and
relit his pipe. Bill followed his example.
"Well, Mark isn't there," said Antony.
"No," said Bill. "At least, I don't quite see why you know he isn't."
"It isn't 'knowing,' it's 'guessing,'" said Antony rapidly. "It's much
easier to shoot yourself than to drown yourself, and if Mark had wanted
to shoot himself in the water, with some idea of not letting the body be
found, he'd have put big stones in his pockets, and the only big stones
are near the water's edge, and they would have left marks, and they
haven't, and therefore he didn't, and oh, bother the pond; that can wait
till this afternoon. Bill, where does the secret passage begin?"
"Well, that's what we've got to find out, isn't it?"
"Yes. You see, my idea is this."
He explained his reasons for thinking that the secret of the passage was
concerned in some way with the secret of Robert's death, and went on:
"My theory is that Mark discovered the passage about a year ago the
time when he began to get keen on croquet. The passage came out into
the floor of the shed, and probably it was Cayley's idea to put
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