But how? How find a criminal who gave no signs of existence, and who was, by those most closely concerned, denied actual existence? The detective, one Dan Peterson, proceeded on the theory that a closed mouth implies great secret wisdom. He said little, save to ask questions of everybody with whom he came in contact, and as these questions merely carried him round in a circle back to his starting point, he made little progress. There were also, of course, many reporters, from the city papers, and these wrote up the story as their natures or their chiefs dictated. Some played up the supernatural side for all it was worth, and more; others scorned such foolishness, and treated the affair as a desperate and unusually mysterious murder case. But all agreed that it was the most sensational and interesting affair of its sort that had happened in years, and the eager reporters hung around and nearly drove frantic the feminine members of the house party. At last, Norma and Milly refused to see them, but Eve Carnforth continued to talk with them, and imbued many of them, more or less, with her occult views. "There's something in what that red-headed woman says," one reporter opined to his fellow. "She puts it mighty convincing,--if you ask me." "Yes, and why?" jeered his friend, "because she's the man behind the ghost!" "What! Miss Carnforth! Guilty? Never!" "I'm not so sure. You know as well as I do, that spook talk is all rubbish, but she's so bent and determined to stuff it down everybody's neck, I think she's hiding her own hand in the matter." "You do! Well, you'd better think again, before you let out any such yarn as that! Why, she's a queen, that woman is!" "Oho! She's subjugated you, has she? Well, look out that she doesn't convert you to spookism,--you'd lose your job!" Other curious people journeyed up to Black Aspens for the pleasure of looking at the house where the mystery was staged. If allowed to enter they walked about, open-mouthed in admiration or wonder. "Stunning hall!" exclaimed one young man, a budding architect, who examined the old house with interest. "Look at those bronze columns! I never saw such a pair." "I've heard the first Montgomery brought those from Italy or somewhere, and put up a house behind 'em," volunteered another sightseer. "Ain't it queer, the way they're half in and half out of the front wall? Land! You wouldn't know whether you was going to school or coming home!" and the speaker laughed heartily at his own wit. But at last, the sightseers were refused admittance to the house, and the remaining members of the party gathered in conclave to decide on future plans. Professor Hardwick was the one who showed the calmest demeanour.