"No. She knew my mother was ill, and she said to me after breakfast, 'Milly, would you like to go and see your mother this morning?' I said, yes, I should, if she could spare me. She told me she could, so I thanked her and went." Superintendent Merrington and Captain Stanhill exchanged glances. The same thought occurred to both of them. Mrs. Rath, the housekeeper, had assured them that she had sent all the servants to the library to be examined. Merrington turned to the girl again. "Mrs. Rath's daughter was staying with her last night, wasn't she?" "Yes." "Is she still here?" "Yes." "Are you quite sure of that?" "Yes, when I was outside about half an hour ago, I saw her through the window, sitting in her mother's room." This piece of information conveyed some significance to Merrington's mind which was not apparent to Caldew. He paused for a moment, and then continued abruptly: "Where were you last night at the time of the murder?" "Please, sir, I don't know nothing about it," responded the girl with a whimper. "Control yourself, my good girl," said Captain Stanhill soothingly. "Nobody suggests you had anything to do with it." For reply, the girl only sobbed loudly. Superintendent Merrington, who had his own methods of soothing frightened females, shook her roughly by the arm. "Listen to me," he sternly commanded. "Do you want to go to prison?" "N--o, sir," responded Milly, between a fresh burst of sobs. "Then you'd better stop that noise and answer my questions, or I'll put you under lock and key till you do. Where were you last night when the murder was committed?" "I was waiting at table till dessert was served," replied the girl, thoroughly subdued by the overbearing manner of the big man confronting her. "What did you do when you left the dining-room?" "I went to the kitchen and was talking to cook for a while." "And what did you do then?" "I went up the passage and into the hall to see if dinner was finished. I knew Miss Heredith was anxious to have dinner over early as they were all going out, and I wanted to get dinner cleared away as quickly as I could, because I wanted to go out myself. I saw her leave the room and go towards the front door, but nobody else came out of the dining-room, and I could hear somebody talking. So after waiting a little while, and seeing nobody else come out, I went back towards the kitchen." "Where were you standing while you were waiting?" "Just at the corner of the passage leading up from the kitchen." "You didn't go up stairs at all?" "No, of course I didn't. 'Tisn't my place to go upstairs." "Don't be saucy, but answer my questions. Did you hear the scream and the shot?" "No, I didn't. I was back in the kitchen before then, and the kitchen is right at the back of the house. Cook and me didn't know anything about it till one of the girls came running down and told us about what had happened."