“Hullo, hullo, hul-_lo!_” he said softly. “What’s this?” “It’s the car,” replied the ever literal Alec. “I said you’d make a great detective one day, if you ever took it up seriously, Alec. No, you goop! What’s the car doing here? Who’s it waiting for?” “Better ask the chauffeur, I should think,” said Alec, quite unruffled. “I will.” Alec slapped his pockets. “Dash it all! I’ve left my pipe somewhere. In the library, I think. I’ll run back for it while you’re speaking to the chauffeur; that’ll give you a chance to dawdle. Won’t be a minute.” He jog-trotted round the angle of the house, and Roger sauntered towards the chauffeur. When Alec reappeared, pipe in mouth, two or three minutes later, Roger was waiting for him near the car. There was a look of mingled apprehension and triumph on his face. “Ah, here you are!” he exclaimed in a loud voice. “Well, we’d better be off if we want anything like a decent long walk before tea.” Alec opened his mouth to speak, but caught a warning look and was silent. Roger took his arm and drew him at a rapid pace down the drive. It was not till they had turned a corner and the house was securely hidden from view that he spoke again. “In here,” he observed briskly, and plunged into the thick bushes which bordered the drive on either side. In some bewilderment Alec followed. “What’s the idea?” he asked, as he rejoined his companion. “A little game of hide-and-seek. You heard what I fog-horned to you just now? That was for the benefit of the chauffeur; so that just in case anybody were to ask him what Messrs. Grierson and Sheringham are up to this afternoon, he has his answer pat. Now I want to see just how long it is after the disappearance of the two said gentlemen that that car leaves its anchorage. You see, the chauffeur told me that he is waiting to take Jefferson into Elchester, Alec.” “I expect that’s right,” Alec replied intelligently. “Jefferson said he’d got to go in, you remember.” “He’s been waiting nearly half an hour, Alec.” “Has he? Yes, probably he has. It must be getting on for that since Jefferson came into the library.” “Therefore Jefferson intended to go into Elchester half an hour ago, Alec. And he didn’t go, Alec. And he’s been in the house all that time instead, Alec. And somebody whom we couldn’t see came into the library and went away very quietly indeed, Alec. And can you put two and two together, Alec?” “Do you mean that—that it was Jefferson who came into the library that time?”