Quite willing, Eve told of the ghostly visitant that had appeared to her the night she slept in the Room with the Tassels, and then described vividly the ghost that had appeared to Vernie, as Vernie had told it to her. "You see," she concluded, "there is no explanation for these things, other than supernatural, for the locks and bars on the house preclude intrusion of outsiders, and all the occupants of the house are accounted for. I tell you the things just as they happened." "With no wish to be discourteous, Miss Carnforth, I would advise you to tell those tales to the submarines. Even the marines couldn't swallow those! Could they, Zizi?" "No," and now that they could see the girl, all noticed a slight smile of amusement on her young face. It was quickly followed by a look of horror in her black eyes, as she murmured, "What awful frights you must have had!" and she glanced at Milly, in sympathy. Then she turned toward Norma, and seemed about to speak, but thought better of it. Not looking toward his "property," Wise went on talking. "I can readily see how any one willing to believe in the occult could turn these weird happenings into plausible proof. But it is not so. Miss Carnforth's own story convinces me even more strongly that there has been diabolical cleverness used, but by a human being, not a phantom." "And you will discover how, you will solve the mysteries?" asked the Professor, eagerly. "I hope to. But it is the most difficult appearing case I have ever encountered." "It is not an eleventh case, then?" and Professor Hardwick told again of Andrew Lang's percentage of proof. "No, it is not. It is one of the ten that are the result of fraud. Now to find the perpetrator of the fraud." "At least you must admit, Mr. Wise," said Eve, a little spitefully, "that your saying it is a case of fraud does not make it so." "No," agreed Wise, smiling in an exasperatingly patronizing way, "it sure does not. In fact it has already made itself so." "And your discovery of the means used is bound to come?" asked Tracy, with interest. "Bound to come," repeated the detective. "But don't let us begin by being at odds with each other. I came here to discover the truth. If any one wants the truth to remain undiscovered, now is the time to say so. For it will soon be too late." "Why should any one want the truth to remain undiscovered?" said Braye, abruptly. "For two reasons," replied Wise, seriously. "First, any one criminally implicated might wish it to remain unknown; second, any one wishing to shield another, might also wish no discoveries made." "But you don't think any of us are criminally implicated, I hope," and Braye looked questioning.