"I let that go. 'Mr. Willett,' I said, 'they found your son's camera on the trail. Your butler exhibits it to the police and reporters and tells them a glib story. He told it to me, also. But what I want to know is, why nobody has thought of developing the films.' "'My butler,' said Mr. Willett, eyeing me, 'did develop the films.' "'Was there anything on them?' "'Some trees.' "'May I see them?' "He scrutinised me. "'After you've seen them will you take your friend and go away and remain?' he asked wearily. "'Yes,' I said. "He walked into the breakfast room, opened a silver box, and returned with half a dozen photographs. The first five presented as many views of foliage; I used a jeweller's glass on them, but discovered nothing else." "Was there anything to jar you on the sixth photograph?" inquired Langdon, interested. Sayre made an impressive gesture; he was a trifle inclined toward the picturesque and histrionic. "Curt, on the ground under a tree in the sixth photograph lay something which, until last evening, did not seem to me important." He paused dramatically. "Well, what was it? A bandersnatch?" asked Langdon irritably. "Examine it!" Langdon took the photograph. "It looks like a--a hammock." "What that girl held in her hand last night resembled a hammock." "Hey?" Sayre leaned over his shoulder and laid the stem of his pipe on the extreme edge of the photograph. "If you look long enough and hard enough," he said, "you will just be able to make out the vague outline of a slender human hand among the leaves, holding the end of the hammock. See it?" Langdon looked long and steadily. Presently he fished out a jeweller's glass, screwed it into his eye, and looked again. "Do you think that's a human hand?" "I do." "It's a slim one--a child's, or a young girl's." "It is. _She_ had be-u-tiful hands." "Who?" "That girl I saw last evening." Langdon slowly turned and looked at Sayre. "Well, what do you make of it?" "Nothing yet--except a million different little romances." "Of course, you'd do that anyway. But what scientific inference do you draw? Here's a thing that looks like a hammock lying on the ground. One end seems to be lifted; perhaps that _is_ a hand. Well, what about it?" "I'm going to find out." "How?" "By--fishing," said Sayre quietly, rising and picking up his rod. "You're going back there in hopes of----" "In hopes." After a silence Langdon said: "You say she was unusually pretty?" "Unusually." "Shall I--go with you, William?" "No," said Sayre coldly. [Illustration] [Illustration] III SAYRE had been fishing for some time with the usual result when the slightest rustle of foliage caught his ear. He looked up. She was standing directly behind him. He got to his feet immediately and pulled off his cap. That was too bad; he was better looking with it on his head.