There was a minute or two of waiting, then a man whom Mrs. Guthrie knew to be the head inspector of the local police came forward, with a very grave face, and helped her out of the car. He wished to hurry her up the steps out of the way of the people there, but she heard her husband's voice, "Mary, where are you?" and obediently she turned with an eager, "Here I am, waiting for you!" She took his arm, and he pressed it reassuringly. She was glad he could not see the inquisitive faces of the now swelling crowd which were being but ill kept back by the few local police. But her ordeal did not last long; in a very few moments they were safe in the Council House, and Mr. Reynolds, who already knew his way about there, had shown them into a stately room where hung the portraits of certain long dead Witanbury worthies. "Am I going to see Anna now?" asked Mrs. Guthrie nervously. "Yes, I must ask you to do that as soon as possible. And, Mrs. Guthrie? Please remember that all we want to know now are two definite facts. The first of these is how long she has had these bombs in her possession, and how she procured them? She may possibly be willing to tell you how long she has had them, even if she still remains obstinately silent as to where she got them. The second question, and of course much the more important from our point of view, is whether she knows of any other similar stores in Witanbury or elsewhere? That, I need hardly tell you, is of very vital moment to us, and I appeal to you as an Englishwoman to help us in the matter." "I will do as you wish," said Mrs. Guthrie in a low voice. "But, Mr. Reynolds? Please forgive me for asking you one thing. What will be done to my poor old Anna? Will the fact that she is a German make it better for her--or worse? Of course I realise that she has been wicked--very, very wicked if what you say is true----" "And most treacherous to you!" interposed the young man quickly. "You don't seem to realise, Mrs. Guthrie, the danger in which she put you;" and as she looked at him uncomprehendingly, he went on, "Putting everything else aside, she ran the most appalling danger of killing you--you and every member of your household. Of course I don't know what you mean to say to her----" he hesitated. "I understand that your relations with her have been much closer and more kindly than are often those between a servant and her employer," and as she nodded, he went on: "The Dean was afraid that it would give you a terrible shock--in fact, he himself seems extremely surprised and distressed; he had evidently quite a personal feeling of affection and respect for this old German woman, Anna Bauer!" "And I am sure that if you had known her you would have had it too, Mr. Reynolds," she answered naively. Somehow the fact that the Dean had taken this strange and dreadful thing as he had done, made her feel less miserable.