“And,” said Miss Blow firmly, ignoring the interruptions, “because they washed their teeth.” “I never in my life,” said Miss Farquharson, “heard such a pack of nonsense. Are you all mad, or am I? What on earth have red dressing-gowns or that unfortunate little Mrs. Dick’s teeth got to do with the disappearance of my nephew and Mr. Dick?” “Shall I ring for some tea?” said Lord Manton. “I think we’d all be the better for a cup of tea. Then we could go on. We’d be much better able to understand each other afterwards.” “I pass on to the next case,” said Miss Blow calmly; “that of Patrick Devlin. He is, I am informed----” “Jimmy O’Loughlin again,” said Mr. Goddard. “By others as well as the hotel-keeper,” said Miss Blow, showing that she placed no implicit trust in Jimmy O’Loughlin’s statements. “I am informed that he is a blacksmith. He was, it appears, collecting money for some local sports.” “Grand Annual Regatta and Horse Races,” said Lord Manton. “I’m a member of the committee, and so I know. Please excuse me interrupting you, Miss Blow, but in a case like this it’s as well to be perfectly accurate.” “He informed the hotel-keeper in Clonmore----” said Miss Blow. “I propose,” said Mr. Goddard, “that we send down for Jimmy O’Loughlin, and let him give his evidence himself.” “That he intended to call on Lord Manton for a subscription and then go on to Rosivera to see what he could get from the man Red. Did he call here?” “Certainly,” said Lord Manton. “I gave him a sovereign.” “After that,” said Miss Blow, “he was seen no more. It seems to me perfectly obvious that he went on to Rosivera and was there murdered.” Poor Mrs. Dick wailed again, and was again suppressed, this time very rapidly, by Miss Farquharson. “There remains,” said Miss Blow, “the case of Dr. O’Grady; but before I go into that I have to inform you that there is another man missing.” “My goodness!” said Lord Manton. “The thing is becoming a perfect epidemic. Who is it now?” “Jimmy O’Loughlin, I hope and trust,” said Mr. Goddard. “He’s been dragged into this business by everybody that has said anything. It’s always Jimmy O’Loughlin told me this or Jimmy O’Loughlin told me that. If he’s gone off himself now it serves him jolly well right.” “It’s not Mr. O’Loughlin,” said Miss Blow, “but the man Red’s own servant, an Englishman. This man used to drive the motor car into Clonmore to do the marketing for the party at Rosivera.” “At Jimmy O’Loughlin’s shop, of course,” said Mr. Goddard. “He did so for the last time the day before Dr. O’Grady’s disappearance. The inference is perfectly plain. The man was mortally wounded. Dr. O’Grady was decoyed to Rosivera because his services as a medical man were required. Then he too, to secure his silence, was foully murdered.”