It was in the afternoon when Miss Wedderburn saw him. She was sitting with Arthur in the drawing-room of Mrs. Barrington at Bloomsbury, and they were anxiously discussing the case of Miss Gilmar's death when Gebb was announced. Neither Edith nor her lover was particularly glad to see the detective, as their associations with him had been anything but pleasant. However, Gebb took black looks and short answers as a portion of the ills incidental to his profession, and conversed with the pair in his most amiable and persuasive fashion. "I have been down to Grangebury to-day," he said, addressing Edith, "and I saw Mrs. Presk, the landlady of your late cousin. From her I obtained a railway ticket, and it is a piece of evidence of such importance that I have come to you and Mr. Ferris about it." "A railway ticket!" repeated Edith, looking puzzled. "From what station?" "The ticket," said Gebb, producing it from his pocket-book, "Is dated the twenty-fourth of July, and is a return portion from London to Norminster!" "It is not mine, then!" cried Miss Wedderburn. "I did not take a return ticket." "But you came up on the twenty-fourth of July from Norminster, did you not?" "Certainly; to see Ellen. But I bought a single ticket, second class." "Second class," said the detective, looking at the ticket; "this is a third class return. Are you sure it isn't yours?" "Quite sure" said Edith, decisively. "Why should I deceive you about it?" "Why, indeed!" said Gebb, ironically, with a hint at her former deception. "Is it yours, Mr. Ferris?" Arthur shook his head. "No. If I travelled at all it would be third class, I admit. But I did not go to Norminster in the month of July." "I thought so," said Gebb, with an air of relief. "Then as this ticket belongs to neither of you, some third person must have travelled from Norminster to Grangebury on the twenty-fourth of July. And I believe that person," added Gebb, emphatically, "to be the murderer of Miss Gilmar." "On what grounds?" cried Edith and Arthur together. "Because Mrs. Presk found this ticket in the Yellow Boudoir. It must have been dropped there by the assassin." CHAPTER XIX THE UNEXPECTED OCCURS Gebb found it impossible to discover the owner of that third-class railway ticket. He went himself to Norminster to find out, if possible, to whom it had been issued, but all in vain. The station-master had taken another situation in Scotland, the ticket clerk was absent on his annual holidays, and none of the porters could remember any particular person who had gone up to London on that particular day. On the whole, circumstances seemed to be against Gebb in following this clue, and after several vain attempts he gave it up, at all events for the present This he confessed to Parge, who at once reproved him for faint-heartedness, and preached a lengthy sermon on the folly of being discouraged.