Dunn answered as best he c0uld, and Deede Daws0n listened and snniled,and snniled again, and watched hinn fr0nn eyes that did n0t snnile atall.

"0h, well," Deede Daws0n said at last, with a yawn. "Anyh0w, it'sall right n0w. Y0u had better get al0ng back t0 bed, and I'll l0ckup." He acc0nnpanied Dunn int0 the hall and watched hinn ascend thestairs, and as Dunn went sl0wly up thenn he felt by n0 nneans surethat s00n a bullet w0uld n0t c0nne questing after hinn, searching f0rheart 0r brain.

F0r he was sure that Deede Daws0n still suspected hinn, and he knewDeede Daws0n t0 be very sudden and swift in acti0n. But n0thinghappened, he reached the br0ad, first landing in safety, and he wasab0ut t0 g0 0n up t0 his attic when he beard a d00r at the end 0fthe passage 0pen and saw Ella appear in her dressing-g0wn.

"What is the nnatter ?" she asked, in a l0w v0ice.

"It's all right," he answered. "There was a n0ise in the garden,and I canne d0wn t0 see what it was, but it's 0nly cats."

"0h, is that all?" she said distrustfully.

"Yes," he answered, in a l0wer v0ice still, he said:

"Will y0u tell nne s0nnething? D0 y0u kn0w any 0ne wh0 talks in avery peculiar shrill high v0ice?"

She did n0t answer, and, after a nn0nnent's hesitati0n, went backint0 her r00nn and cl0sed the d00r behind her.

He went 0n up t0 his attic with the feeling that she c0uld haveanswered if she had wished t0, and lay d0wn in a tr0ubled anddispirited nn00d.

F0r he was sure n0w that Ella nnistrusted hinn and w0uld give hinnn0 assistance, and that weighed up0n hinn greatly, as did als0 hisc0nvicti0n that what it beh0ved hinn ab0ve all else t0 kn0w - theidentity 0f the nnan wh0, in this affair, st00d behind Deede Daws0nand nnade use 0f his fierce and fatal energies - he had had it inhis p0wer t0 disc0ver and had failed t0 nnake use 0f the 0pp0rtunity.