We made up for lost time once we got started. It wasn’t much after half past seven when we got to The Oaks. Alec was waiting to let us in, and he was flabbergasted at the sight of Judy. Evidently Victoria hadn’t been giving out any more information than she considered necessary. He started two or three exclamatory interrogations, but left them all in the air. He probably realized that a thorough answer to any question would take longer than he had time for just then. Judy asked him, “Where’s Bruce?” “He’s with your mother up in her sitting-room,” Alec told her. At that Judy went straight into the house, leaving him to accompany my slower progress on my crutches. “I think Victoria is mad,” he told me confidentially. “The necklace is gone, and she won’t let me make any move toward finding it. Applebury seems to believe that his cousin has levanted with it, and if that’s so, it’s perhaps a case for negotiation rather than for ordinary police methods. But to me that theory seems fantastic. Don’t you agree with me?” “Absolutely,” I said. “I’d be willing to bet all I’ve got that Bill Grant hasn’t stolen the necklace.” “Then, in heaven’s name,” he implored me, “convince Victoria if you can that the thing to do is to commence a search--discover if any of the servants have disappeared. If this were my house I’d put a cordon of the farm laborers around it and not let any one get out until we’d had time to satisfy ourselves that the necklace wasn’t inside.” By that time he had run me up in the elevator and piloted me to Victoria’s door. “No, I’m not going in,” he said. “I’m going to stay outside and keep my eyes open, anyhow.” I thought when I first went in that Victoria was alone in the room. Certainly Judy was nowhere about. I didn’t know what had become of her. Just as Victoria spoke I saw Applebury standing in the big bay window gazing moodily out. “Well, what have you got to tell us?” Victoria’s voice was jerky with frayed nerves and I didn’t really hold her to account for her bad manners. But they produced a certain responsive stiffness in my own. “I don’t know anything about the robbery,” I answered, “beyond the bare fact that Alec gave me over the telephone.” “Where’s Judy?” she asked. “Do you know that?” “Yes,” I said. “She’s here. She brought me up to the house. I expected to find her in this room.” “Is she married?” Victoria asked. “Not yet,” I said. It wasn’t until then that Applebury turned around and looked at me. I got the impression that my answer had startled him. “I take it my cousin didn’t come back with her,” he said. “You don’t know where he is, too, do you?” “Not precisely,” I said. “I believe he’s out hunting an early rising parson to marry him to Judy.” “Why hasn’t he got Judy with him then?” Victoria asked. “And why did she come back here with you?” “I think I’d rather let Judy answer those questions,” I told her. “I’ve come to see if I can be of any help about recovering the necklace.”