"I wonder I didn't think of it myself," I said. Terry smiled and said nothing. "Radnor is naturally not loquacious about the matter," he resumed presently. "For one thing, because he does not wish to drag Polly's name into it, for another, I suppose he feels that if anyone is to do the explaining, she ought to be the one. He supposed that she would be present at the inquest and that her testimony would bring out sufficient facts to clear him. When he found that she was not there, and that her testimony did not touch on any important phase of the matter, he simply shut his mouth and said, 'Very well! If she won't tell, I won't.' Also, the coroner's manner was unfortunate. He showed that his sympathy was on the other side; and Radnor stubbornly determined not to say one word more than was dragged out of him by main force. It is much the attitude of the little boy who has been unfairly punished, and who derives an immense amount of satisfaction from the thought of how sorry his friends will be when he is dead. And now, I think we have Rad's case well in hand. In spite of the fact that he seems bound to be hung, we shall not have much difficulty in getting him off." "But what I can't understand," I grumbled, "is why that little wretch didn't tell me a word of all this. She came and informed me off-hand that he was innocent and asked me to clear him, with never a hint that she could explain the most suspicious circumstance against him." "You've got me," Terry laughed. "I give up when it comes to finding out why women do things. If you had _asked_ her, you know, she would have told you; but you never said a word about it." "How could I ask her when I didn't know anything about it?" "I managed to ask her," said Terry, "and what's more," he added gloomily, "I promised it shouldn't go any further--that is, than is necessary to get Rad off. Now don't you call that pretty tough luck, after coming 'way down here just to find out the truth, not to be allowed to print it when I've got it? How in the deuce am I to account for Rad's behavior without mentioning her?" "You needn't have promised," I suggested. "Oh, well," Terry grinned, "I'm human!" I let this pass and he added hastily, "We've disposed of Jeff; we've disposed of Radnor, but the real murderer is still to be found." "And that," I declared, "is Cat-Eye Mose." "It's possible," agreed Terry with a shrug. "But I have just the tiniest little entering wedge of a suspicion that the real murderer is not Cat-Eye Mose." CHAPTER XXI MR. TERENCE KIRKWOOD PATTEN OF NEW YORK "There is Luray," I said, pointing with my whip to the scattered houses of the village as they lay in the valley at our feet. Terry stretched out a hand and pulled the horses to a standstill. "Whoa, just a minute till I get my bearings. Now, in which direction is the cave?" "It extends all along underneath us. The entrance is over there in the undergrowth about a mile to the east."