"Not when the doctors and you were in the room," said Shepworth languidly. "I am only beginning to recover my senses, remember; but I told Lord Prelice that Agstone, after he left this room, returned and looked in, to see if I was insensible I suppose, before he brought in the lady. Then he had the knife in his hand." "And what do you infer?" asked Bruge pointedly. "There can only be one inference drawn," said Prelice, before Shepworth could speak; "Agstone must have had the knife in his pocket." "Then Agstone must have murdered Sir Oliver," said Bruge triumphantly. Shepworth shrugged his shoulders, and staggered to his feet. "I feel too dizzy to give an opinion," he said, leaning heavily on his friend. "We know that Agstone was devoted to Sir Oliver. Why should he have murdered him? Besides, he accuses Miss Chent." "Naturally," cried the Inspector, who followed eagerly the scent of the red herring which Prelice had drawn across the trail. "If Agstone is guilty himself he naturally would throw the blame on another person; and if he was possessed of the knife he must be guilty. It was missed from the Grange library and reappears here." "The masked lady might have brought it," suggested Shepworth. Bruge, extremely pleased with his own theory, shook his head sapiently. "Mr. Shepworth saw the knife in Agstone's hand before he became insensible. You can swear to that?" he asked the barrister. "Yes," said Shepworth truthfully; "I can swear to that." "And you can swear that the masked woman killed Agstone?" "No; I can't say that. When she waved the bronze cup before me I became entirely insensible." The Inspector looked more knowing than ever. "Of course," said he in a complacent way, "she did not wish you to see her stabbing Agstone." "But why should she have stabbed him?" "We can't say until we know the lady. Did you recognise her?" "No; she was masked and cloaked." "A green domino, I think you said." "And a green mask," supplemented Shepworth. "She must have been at Mrs. Rover's ball," mused Bruge. "Not necessarily," interpolated Prelice; "but as many people masked and cloaked were ascending and descending the stairs, she may have taken advantage of the ball to get into this flat unobserved." "Quite so," assented the Inspector; "but who admitted her?" "Agstone must have done that," said Shepworth. "Probably; but who admitted Agstone?" The barrister shook his head. "I can't say," he replied in a tired tone. "I heard a noise--three heavy blows struck in this room--as I told you, when seated in the drawing-room. I did not know that anyone was in the flat." "What time did your servants go to assist at the ball?" "Shortly before nine o'clock, when the dinner was over." "You had dinner then?" "Oh yes. I came from the Court worn out, and slept for a long time. I then had a light dinner." "Agstone could not have been at the table then--under it I mean?"