"No. I can't say as she did. She went away just about as she came--in no purtic'ler 'urry," said William Roper. Mr. Flexen paused, considering; then he said: "And who was the next to leave?" "The Colonel, 'e come out next--in about ten minutes." "Did he seem in a hurry?" "'E walked pretty brisk, and 'e was frowning, like as if 'e was in a rage. 'E passed me close, so I 'ad a good look at 'im. Yes; I should say 'e was fair boilen', 'e was," said William Roper, in a solemn, pleased tone of one giving damning evidence. Mr. Flexen did not press the matter. He said: "So James Hutchings came away last?" "Yes; about five minutes after the Colonel. And 'e was in a pretty fair to-do, too. Leastways, he was frowning and a-muttering of to 'imself. He passed me close." "Did _he_ seem in any hurry?" said Mr. Flexen. "'E was walkin' fairly fast," said William Roper. Mr. Flexen paused again, pondering. He thought that William Roper had thrown all the light on the matter he could; and he had certainly revealed a number of facts which looked uncommonly important. "And that was all you saw?" he said. "That was all--except 'er ladyship," said William Roper. "Her ladyship?" said Mr. Flexen sharply. "Yes. You see, there was no 'urry for me to go back to the woods, sir; an' I sat down on one of them garden seats along the edge of the Wellin'tonia shrubbery to smoke a pipe and think it ou'. I felt it was my dooty like to let 'is lordship know about these goings-on, never thinking as 'ow 'e was sitting there all the time with a knife in 'im. I should think it was twenty minutes arter that I saw 'er ladyship come out. Of course, I was farther away from the window, but I saw 'er quite plain." "And where did she go?" said Mr. Flexen. "She didn't go nowhere, so to speak. She just walked up an' down the gravel path--like as if she'd come out for a breath of fresh air. Then she went in. She wasn't out more nor ten minutes, or a quarter of an hour." Mr. Flexen was silent in frowning thought; then he looked earnestly at William Roper for a good minute; then he said: "Well, this may be important, or it may not. But it is very important that you should keep it to yourself." He looked hard again at William, decided that an appeal to his vanity would be best, and added: "You're pretty shrewd, I fancy, and you can see that it is most important not to put the criminal on his guard--if it was a crime." "I suppose I shall 'ave to tell what I know at the inquest?" said William Roper, with an air of importance. Mr. Flexen gazed at him thoughtfully, weighing the matter. Here were a number of facts which might or might not have an important bearing on the murder, but which would give rise to a great deal of painful and harmful scandal if they were given to the world at this juncture.