“What are you after, Skene?” he demanded. “I thought you were supposed to be watching this fellow.” Skene rose to his feet, rather sulky at being reproved. “He ain’t escaped yet. I’m ’tween him and the door.” Howard acknowledged the truth of both statements. “What are you grubbing in the hedge for?” he continued, after he had made his apology. Skene extended an earthy palm on which rested some small objects. “’Tis the lid of a tin box—one o’ these round ’uns. And here’s some darts that Mr. Hawkhurst uses for that air-gun o’ his when he’s shootin’ at a target. Let’s see . . . one . . . two . . . three . . .” He laboriously counted up to seven and held out his hand for confirmation. “Put ’em in the box-lid, Skene, and lay ’em down somewhere safe. You found them where I saw you searching?” “Just in there, among the roots o’ the hedge. Like enough the other bit o’ the box’ll be outside in the alley. I’ll have a look.” “Don’t bother, Skene. We mustn’t disturb anything till the police get here, you know. If there’s anything more, they’ll prefer to hunt for it themselves. What you’ve got to remember is that you found these seven things—seven, remember—at that point in the hedge. Better mark it with a stick or something, so that you’ll know the exact spot again.” The sight of the darts had put a thought into his mind. He went over to Roger Shandon’s body and examined it carefully. But so far as the exposed portions were concerned, he found no trace of the thing for which he was searching; and he did not care to take the responsibility of altering the posture of the corpse. As he rose to his feet once more he heard the note of a motor horn in the distance. “The police, I expect,” he said to Skene. “They’ll be here in a minute or two. Mr. Stenness has gone to lead them in through the Maze.” CHAPTER IV. The Chief Constable As Stenness picked his way through the convolutions of the Maze, his face showed that his mind was at work on some puzzling problem. “Things haven’t worked out quite according to plan,” he commented to himself as he walked along. “I’ve missed that train, now; and I may as well see the business through on the spot. If only I’d aimed for the earlier train, I might have pulled it off.” His frown of annoyance faded out suddenly, as a new idea crossed his mind. “Perhaps it’s all for the best after all. I never thought of that point. Nobody can swear to it: and it leaves me absolutely on velvet—safer than ever.” His face cleared completely as he considered the fresh situation which had presented itself. “This is worth a dozen of the other notion. All I have to do now is to sit tight and keep a straight face.” The secretary soon reached the outskirts of the Maze. Then, taking up a position which commanded the road to the East Gate, he sat down on the grass and waited the arrival of the police.