Peter Daventry gasped! “By Jove,” he muttered, “who’d have thought it?” “Also, my dear Daventry,” remarked Mr. Bathurst, “let me call your attention to the title—‘The Memoirs of Réné de St. Maure—one-time Page to Mary Stuart.’ Altogether a most fascinating work, I should imagine.” CHAPTER XVII The Memoirs of Réné de St. Maure Anthony took out his pocket-knife and carefully extracted the bullet from its paper bed. “I think that Goodall will have little difficulty in fitting this to Stewart’s own revolver,” he declared. He turned to Peter. “It’s easier to piece the affair together now. When the burglar—the murderer if you prefer to call him so—cut across the room to put out the light he was holding this book in his hand—_so_.” He placed the fingers of his left hand on the switch and held the book in his right—with the back of the cover facing the door. Peter nodded—the scene was now becoming plainer to him, and its visualization most intriguing. “Stewart entered in the dark as I told you—and challenged the person he knew was facing him. At first he got no reply, but the intruder _attempted to replace the book on its shelf in the bookcase at his side_—he was familiar with its location because he had replaced it _on many occasions before_. Stewart detected the movement and instantly fired _in the direction of the sound_. Then the gentleman concerned so closely with historical research considered his safest plan was to disclose his identity—it might save his life for one thing. You know the result!” “Wonderful—Bathurst!” said Peter. “I can see the whole thing as you depict it—there isn’t a weak link in your chain.” Anthony flushed with pleasure. “A closer study of M. Réné will, I think, more than repay us for any little trouble we have taken”—he tapped the cover of the book playfully. “I’ve been thinking, Bathurst,” said Peter, “if this book is so important, if, for example, it holds the key to the entire mystery, why on earth did the murderer leave it behind—especially as it held the tell-tale evidence of the bullet?” “There may be several answers to that question. The right one may be difficult to name. When the revolver was fired the book was sent spinning from the murderer’s hand! Possibly Stewart himself replaced it on the shelf in the bookcase. Also—after the murder, the paramount question was to get away, remember!” He opened the book and examined it with some care. “There’s one thing, Daventry, if this book has been in constant use recently, and I’m convinced it has—there shouldn’t be too much difficulty in discovering the particular page or pages that have been pored over so many times so very assiduously. Remarkable how the Stuart connection keeps cropping up, isn’t it?” “I’d like to know what we’re on the track of,” interjected Peter. “It’s a positive strain to keep on wondering like we do—or like _I_ do—to be properly precise.”