"Well, I think we must at least let Miss Garth know of the loss of the will. Perhaps, when they have cleared away these plates, she will come here for a few minutes." "I'll go and ask her," Mr. Crellan answered, and having rung the bell, proceeded to find Miss Garth. Presently he returned with the lady. She was a slight, very pale young woman; no doubt rather pretty in ordinary, but now not looking her best. She was evidently worn and nervous from anxiety and want of sleep, and her eyes were sadly inflamed. As the wind slammed a loose casement behind her she started nervously, and placed her hand to her head. "Sit down at once, my dear," Mr. Crellan said; "sit down. This is Mr. Martin Hewitt, whom I have taken the liberty of inviting down here to help me in a very important matter. The fact is, my dear," Mr. Crellan added gravely, "I can't find your poor father's will." Miss Garth was not surprised. "I thought so," she said mildly, "when you asked me about the bureau yesterday." "Of course I need not say, my dear, what a serious thing it may be for you if that will cannot be found. So I hope you'll try and tell Mr. Hewitt here anything he wants to know as well as you can, without forgetting a single thing. I'm pretty sure that he will find it for us if it is to be found." "I understand, Miss Garth," Hewitt asked, "that the keys of that bureau never left your possession during the whole time of Mr. Holford's last illness, and that the bureau was kept locked?" "Yes, that is so." "Did you ever have occasion to go to the bureau yourself?" "No, I have not touched it." "Then you can answer for it, I presume, that the bureau was never unlocked by _any one_ from the time Mr. Holford placed the keys in your hands till you gave them to Mr. Crellan?" "Yes, I am sure of that." "Very good. Now is there any place on the whole premises that you can suggest where this will may possibly be hidden?" "There is no place that Mr. Crellan doesn't know of, I'm sure." "It is an old house, I observe," Hewitt pursued. "Do you know of any place of concealment in the structure--any secret doors, I mean, you know, or sliding panels, or hollow door frames, and so forth?" Miss Garth shook her head. "There is not a single place of the sort you speak of in the whole building, so far as I know," she said, "and I have lived here almost all my life." "You knew the purport of Mr. Holford's will, I take it, and understand what its loss may mean to yourself?" "Perfectly." "Now I must ask you to consider carefully. Take your mind back to two or three days before Mr. Holford's illness began, and tell me if you can remember any single fact, occurrence, word, or hint from that day to this in any way bearing on the will or anything connected with it?"