“Hullo! What’s up?” he asked, suddenly catching sight of Roger.
That gentleman was listening intently, his head on one side. At Alec’s words he held up his finger warningly.
“Thought I heard someone in the library!” he whispered. “You creep up to the lattice window and look through. I’ll try the French ones. Carefully!”
Enjoying himself thoroughly, he made his way stealthily to the side of the French windows and peeped cautiously round them. He had his reward. The library door was closing softly.
He hurried back to Alec. “Did you see?” he asked, in a voice thick with suppressed excitement. “Did you see?”
Alec nodded. “Somebody was going out of the library,” he said.
“Yes, but did you see who it was, man?”
Alec shook his head. “No, I’m afraid I didn’t. Got here too late.”
The two looked at each other in silence.
“The question is, were we overheard?” Roger said at last.
“Good Lord!” Alec exclaimed in dismay. “Do you think we were?”
“Impossible to say. I hope to goodness we weren’t, though. It would rather give things away, wouldn’t it?”
“Hopelessly!” said Alec with fervour.
Roger looked at him curiously. “Why, Alexander, you’re actually getting quite keen on the chase at last!”
“It’s—it is rather exciting,” Alec confessed, almost apologetically.
“That’s the spirit. Well, come off that bed and let’s get farther away from the house to discuss what’s to be done next. It’s not safe to talk near these windows, evidently. Hullo, you’ve made rather a mess of the bed. Steady! Don’t step on our two particular prints.”
Alec glanced ruefully at the bed, which was now embellished with several extra footprints.
“I’d better smooth mine out,” he said hastily. “They look a bit suspicious, all round that window, don’t they? Anyone can see that we’ve been mucking about here.”
“Yes, do,” Roger said approvingly. “But hurry up, and for goodness’ sake, don’t let anybody see you. That would be worse still.”
“And now, Sherlock Sheringham,” said Alec, when they had gained the security of the lawn, “what do you propose? Isn’t it time you disguised yourself, or something? I’m sure the best detectives always do that at about this stage of the proceedings.”
“Don’t be ribald, friend Alec,” Roger said reprovingly. “This is a very serious business, and we’re getting along with it very nicely. I think our next move is fairly clear, isn’t it? We embark on the quest of the Mysterious Stranger.”
“What mysterious stranger?”
“I mean, we make some inquiries round about as to whether any stranger was seen near the place last night. The lodge, the station, the village, and the rest of it.”
“That seems a sound scheme.”
“Yes, but before we start there’s just one other thing I want to do. You saw how productive the contents of the wastepaper basket were. I should like to have a look at yesterday’s as well.”
“Haven’t they been destroyed?”
“No, I don’t think so. I made some inquiries while you were otherwise engaged just now, saying that I had thrown away a letter I meant to keep, and as far as I can make out the contents of all the wastepaper baskets are emptied on to an ash pit at the back of the house, where they lie till William sees fit to use them up in a bonfire. I want to have a peep at that ash pit before we start. Not that I really expect to find anything, but you never know.”
“How do we get there?”
“We’ll go round the front of the house; it’s somewhere on the farther side, I think. We’d better get a move on; we’ve got no time to waste.”
“I’m game,” said Alec, quite enthusiastically.
They set off.
In front of the house the car was standing, the chauffeur lounging negligently at the wheel as if he had been there some time.
Roger whistled softly.
“Hullo, hullo, hul-lo!” he said softly. “What’s this?”
“It’s the car,” replied the ever literal Alec.
“I said you’d make a great detective one day, if you ever took it up seriously, Alec. No, you goop! What’s the car doing here? Who’s it waiting for?”
“Better ask the chauffeur, I should think,” said Alec, quite unruffled.
“I will.”
Alec slapped his pockets.
“Dash it all! I’ve left my pipe somewhere. In the library, I think. I’ll run back for it while you’re speaking to the chauffeur; that’ll give you a chance to dawdle. Won’t be a minute.”
He jog-trotted round the angle of the house, and Roger sauntered towards the chauffeur.
When Alec reappeared, pipe in mouth, two or three minutes later, Roger was waiting for him near the car. There was a look of mingled apprehension and triumph on his face.
“Ah, here you are!” he exclaimed in a loud voice. “Well, we’d better be off if we want anything like a decent long walk before tea.”
Alec opened his mouth to speak, but caught a warning look and was silent. Roger took his arm and drew him at a rapid pace down the drive. It was not till they had turned a corner and the house was securely hidden from view that he spoke again.
“In here,” he observed briskly, and plunged into the thick bushes which bordered the drive on either side.
In some bewilderment Alec followed. “What’s the idea?” he asked, as he rejoined his companion.
“A little game of hide-and-seek. You heard what I fog-horned to you just now? That was for the benefit of the chauffeur; so that just in case anybody were to ask him what Messrs. Grierson and Sheringham are up to this afternoon, he has his answer pat. Now I want to see just how long it is after the disappearance of the two said gentlemen that that car leaves its anchorage. You see, the chauffeur told me that he is waiting to take Jefferson into Elchester, Alec.”
“I expect that’s right,” Alec replied intelligently. “Jefferson said he’d got to go in, you remember.”
“He’s been waiting nearly half an hour, Alec.”
“Has he? Yes, probably he has. It must be getting on for that since Jefferson came into the library.”
“Therefore Jefferson intended to
