"About a week or so ago, sir," replied Rondalina. "Mr. Desmond, sir, he comes in at five o'clock when I was a'layin' of the cloth for dinner, and ses he 'I ain't a-goin' to stay in for dinner 'cause I'm a-goin' h'out,' then he takes the knife from his pocket, being broken in two, and throws the bits on the table and goes out to put his clothes on. I takes the dinner things down stairs, and when I comes up he were gone, so I sets to work an' tidies up the room." "Was the dagger still on the table?" "The knife, sir," corrected Rondalina, "yes, sir, it were, and I puts the bits in the h'ornaments so as to keep 'em out of the way of the children, an' I 'ope it weren't wrong, sir." "No, not at all," replied Norwood, "but tell me, did Mr. Desmond come back on that night?" "Yes, sir--but not till late, sir--three o'clock in the morning. He 'adn't his latch-key, so I 'ad to git h'up and let him in." "Was he sober?" "Quite, sir, only he seemed upset like, and goes up to his room without saying a word." This was all the information obtainable from Rondalina, so Norwood departed from the house very much satisfied with what he had discovered. He drove straight to Park Lane and told May Penfold all Rondalina had said. "You see," he said in conclusion, "this evidence will prove one thing, that Desmond could not have committed the crime with that dagger." "Then I suppose they'll say he did it with another," said May bitterly. "If they do so they will damage their own case," replied Norwood coolly, "for Dowker swears the crime was committed by this special dagger, and if Desmond did not use it--as can be proved by the evidence of the servant--no one else could have done so; by-the-way, you say Sir Rupert was down at Berkshire on that night." "He was," replied May, "but he came up by a late train and then went to his club shortly before twelve." "Is he in?" asked the lawyer. "No, but you will be able to see him about five o'clock," said Miss Penfold, "he has been shut up in his library since the elopement of his wife, but had to go out to-day on business." "I'll call then." "What do you want to see him about?" "I am anxious to ascertain if he knew his wife's movements on that night, and whether she left the house." "I don't think he can tell you that, as his wife and he were on bad terms and occupied different rooms; besides, even if you find out that Lady Balscombe visited Lord Calliston's chambers on that night, it won't save Myles." "I don't know so much about that," replied Norwood, cheerfully, "it will help to unravel this mystery, and when everything is made plain I'm certain Myles Desmond won't be the man to suffer for this crime." CHAPTER XIV MY LADY'S HUSBAND.