"It's about this Morris Barnes affair," he said abruptly. "I've kept something back, and I'm a clumsy hand at telling a story that doesn't contain all the truth. The consequence is, of course, that I'm suspected of having had a hand in it myself." The Colonel's manner had for a moment imperceptibly changed. Lines had come out in his face which were not usually visible, his upper lip had stiffened. One could fancy that he might have led his men into battle looking something like this. "What is it that you know?" he asked. "There was another person in the flats that night, who was interested in Morris Barnes, who visited his rooms, who was with me when I first saw him dead." The Colonel shaded his face with his hand. The heat from the fire was intense. "Why have you kept back this knowledge?" he asked. "Because--it was a woman, and I am a fool!" Wrayson answered. There was a silence. Then the Colonel pushed back his chair and dabbed his forehead with his handkerchief. The room was certainly hot, and the handkerchief was wet. "Tell me about it," he said quietly. "I expected something of the sort!" "On that morning," Wrayson began, "I returned home about twelve o'clock, let myself in with my own latch-key, and found a woman standing before my open desk going through my papers." "A friend?" the Colonel asked. "A complete stranger!" Wrayson answered. "Her surprise at seeing me was at least equal to my own. I gathered that she had believed herself to be in the flat of Morris Barnes, which is the corresponding one above." "What did you do?" the Colonel asked. "What I should have done I am not sure," Wrayson answered, "but while I was talking to her the telephone bell rang, and I received that message which I spoke about at the inquest. It was a mysterious sort of business--I can hear that voice now. I was interested, and while I stood there she slipped away." "Is that all?" the Colonel asked. "No!" Wrayson answered with a groan. "I wish to God it was!" The Colonel moved his position a little. The cigar had burnt out between his fingers, but he made no effort to light it. "Go on," he said. "Tell me the rest. Tell me what happened afterwards." "I wrote down the message for Barnes and left it in his letter-box. There seemed then to be no light in his flat. Afterwards I lit a pipe, left my door open, and sat down, with the intention of waiting till Barnes came home and explaining what had happened. I fell asleep in my chair and woke with a start. It was nearly three o'clock. I was going to turn in when I heard the jingling of a hansom bell down below. I looked out of the window and saw the cab standing in the street. Almost at the same time I heard footsteps outside. I went to the door of my flat and came face to face with the girl descending from the floor above." "At three o'clock in the morning?" the Colonel interrupted. Wrayson nodded.