"No. You see, Joyce,--Mrs. Stannard jumped right up and ran across the room and turned on the light." "Turned it on? It had been really turned off, then?" "Oh, yes. And she turned it on. Then she opened the door and Blake was in the hall, where he belonged. He had seen no one and had heard nothing." "I must have a chat with Blake. And Mrs. Faulkner, she knew nothing of it all?" "Not till Mrs. Stannard told her. She ran at once to Mrs. Faulkner's room----" "Where is that room?" "At the other end of the house, on the third floor. And there she found Mrs. Faulkner writing letters. And Mrs. Stannard told her and they came down stairs together. Well, and after Mrs. Stannard left the room, of course, I looked around, and there was the case of jewels on the table." "Where did they come from? How did they get there?" "The spirit of Mr. Stannard placed them there," said Natalie, solemnly. "You may scoff, Mr. Ford, you may suspect Blake of being mixed up in it, but you're all wrong. The studio doors were locked----" "While you and Mrs. Stannard were in there?" "Yes, I locked them myself. All three. There are but three, you know. See, the one to the front hall, the outside one to the Terrace and the one to the Billiard Room. I locked them, and the windows were fastened too. Nobody mortal could have come into that room." "So it would seem. Now, who else has these leanings toward spirit forces beside you? Who sent for the clairvoyant lady?" "Nobody. That is, she wrote herself to Mrs. Stannard, asking if she might come." "You liked her? You believed in her?" "In Orienta? Oh, yes. She is not an ordinary person,--I mean she is refined, educated, cultured,--as correct in every way as we are ourselves. She's not a professional medium, you know." "I know. And did Mr. Barry Stannard want her to come?" "No; he strongly opposed it." "And Mrs. Faulkner?" "She deferred to Mrs. Stannard's wishes. But she had no faith in her. Of course, after Orienta read the sealed letters, Mrs. Faulkner had to believe in that, she couldn't well help it." "No. Now, Miss Vernon, when you heard the groan or sigh as if the spirit of Mr. Stannard were expressing itself, where did the sound come from?" "It seemed to come from that chair,--the chair he died in. Joyce and I sat facing it----" "Your backs to the hall door, then?" "Yes, but nobody could open that door, it was locked. Mrs. Stannard unlocked it when she ran out of the room." "You're sure of this?" "Positive. We've gone over the scene a dozen times or more." "That seems to let Blake out, doesn't it? Well, that's all for the present, Miss Vernon, and thank you for your courteous attention. Now, there's no one to interview but the servants." "Mrs. Faulkner? She expects you to talk to her, I think."