“Why had it not been returned to her?” Hart wanted to know. “Because Mr. Tracy took a notion to it. It was a sort of keepsake of the lady, sir, and, too, Mr. Tracy was that fond of beautiful things. Any pretty piece of silk or brocade would please him tremenjous.” “Then, whoever arranged all those decorations round him knew of his love for beautiful things, and that would explain the flowers and the scarf. Is there anything missing from his room, Sally?” “I don’t know, sir. I’ve not been allowed in there this morning.” “Well, go up there now. Tell the guard he’s to let you in. Here’s the key.” “Oh, sir, I—I daren’t! Don’t make me go in there!” The girl shivered with real fear, but Hart had to know. “You must go,” he said, not unkindly. “Get Griscom to go with you, or Mrs. Fenn, if you like. But it is important for me to know if anything has been taken away that you know of. I don’t mean papers or letters from his desk. I mean any of his appointments or small belongings.” The girl went off, still shuddering, and Hart finished up the rest of the servants in short order. Next he interviewed Charlie Everett. I had taken a fancy to Everett, and somehow, from the way Kee looked at him, I thought he liked him, too. He was not a distinguished-looking man, but he seemed a well-balanced sort, and his eyes were alert and showed a sense of humour. Not that the occasion called for humour, but you can always tell by a man’s eyes if he has that desirable trait. Very quiet and self-possessed was Everett, his manner polite but a little detached. He was quite ready to answer questions but he gave only the answer, no additional information. Yes, he said, he had spent an hour or so with Mr. Tracy the night before. They had played a game of billiards and had then sat for a short time over a cigar and a whisky and soda. Then, perhaps about ten o’clock, he had said good night to his employer and had gone to his own room. No, he could form no idea whatever as to who could have killed Sampson Tracy, or how he could have got into the room. “That is,” he amended his speech, “he could get in easy enough, but I don’t see how he could get out and leave the door locked behind him.” “It is one of those cases,” Hart said, a little sententiously, “where there has been a murder committed in a sealed room.” Keeley Moore spoke up then. “A murder cannot be committed in a sealed room,” he said, “unless the murderer stays there. If the murderer left the room, the room was not a sealed room.” “How did he get out?” demanded Hart. “That we have yet to learn. But he did get out, not through the door to the hall. Remains the possibility of a secret passage and the windows.” “I’m sure there is no secret passage,” Everett said, with an unusual burst of unasked information. “I’ve been here three years and if there was such a thing I’m sure I’d know of it.”