In a moment Nealman and Van Hope rejoined us, and we turned once more through the still hall that had been Florey’s particular domain. An instant later we were out on the moonlit driveway.

“I wonder if those birds will have sense enough to stay away from the body,” Nopp said gruffly. “It would be easy to mess up and destroy every bit of evidence——”

evidence——”

“Major Dell warned them,” I said. “I think they’ll remember.”

“Nevertheless, I think we’d better post a guard over it.” He paused, eyeing an approaching figure. It was Marten, and he was almost out of breath.

“Any luck?” Nealman asked.

“Nothing.” Marten paused, fighting for breath. “Something stirred over in the thicket—we chased it down and tried to round it up. I guess it wasn’t anything—certainly if it had been a man we’d scared it out. Have you a dog?”

“Haven’t shipped my dogs down here yet, but coons and such things come out of the woods every once in a while. Where are your men——”

men——”

“They’ll round up here in a minute. We’ve been beating through the grounds.”

[Pg 72]

[Pg 72]

In a moment Major Dell and Fargo approached us from opposite sides of the garden, and once more we headed down toward the lagoon. A voice called after us, and Pescini caught up.

“No trace of anything?” he asked.

“Not a trace,” some one replied.

We walked with ever-decreasing pace, a rather uncertain group, down toward the crags of the shore. All of us, I think, were busy with our own thoughts. All of us paused, at last, forty yards from the scene of the tragedy.

“There’s really nothing further we can do,” Nopp said. “If the murderer is among the servants we’ve got him—you found ’em all, didn’t you, Nealman?”

“All of ’em. No suspicious circumstances.”

“Good. If he is some outsider, we’ll round him up. I rather 

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