"It shows a leaping mind on his part, to fly round here and fix it up so quickly," said Steele, a bit admiringly. "That's what Mr. Barry has, sir, the leaping mind," observed Blake, as if pleased with the phrase. "Often he jumps to a conclusion or decision that his father'd take hours to reach." "Mr. Stannard was slow, then?" "Not to say slow, in some things. He was like lightning at his work. But as to a matter, now, that he didn't want to bother about, he would put it off or dawdle about it, something awful." "And you see," Bobsy went on, "there are only three doors and three windows in the place. Now we have accounted for----" "What's the gallery for?" asked Steele, gazing up at the gilded iron scrollwork of the little balcony. "Just for ornament, sir," Blake returned. "And I've heard Mr. Stannard say, it was necessary, to break up that wall. You see, the ceiling is some twenty feet high, and no windows on that side, being next the main house." "It's all one house,--there's no division?" "No real division, sir, but this end,--the studio and Billiard Room on this floor, and the rooms directly above,--are all Mr. Stannard's own, and in a way separate from the rest of the house." "His sleeping room is above the studio?" "Yes, sir; and his bath and dressing-room and den. Mrs. Stannard's rooms are next, over the Reception Room, and all the other bedrooms are over the dining room end, and in the third story." "Listen," impatiently cut in Bobsy. "There are six ways of getting in and out. Now nobody could have entered at the hall door where you were, Blake?" "Oh, no, sir. I was there all the evening, and the hall lighted as bright as day." "All right. That's one off. Now we'll go round the room. The North window is out of the question, eh?" "Yes, sir," said Blake, as the query was to him. "It only opens in those high, upper sections, by cords, don't you see?" Blake showed the contrivance that opened and shut the upper panes, and it was clear to be seen that there was no possibility of entrance that way. "Next is the West window," Bobsy went on, "and that's settled by a glance. Why, look at the chalk dust on the floor. How could any one walk through that and leave no track?" This was unanswerable, so they went on to the door to the Billiard Room. "This is where Mrs. Stannard came in. No other person could have entered this door unless she had seen him. Now, we come to the East window. This was open, I am told, but the wire fly-screen makes it safe. Also, Mr. Courtenay sat on a lawn bench, looking this way, when the light went out. Had a person climbed in at this window before that he must have seen him." "He couldn't climb in, sir, 'count of the screen," said Blake. "It's not a movable screen. We put them up for the season, and take them down the middle of October. They all come down next week."