“Then Martha must have come down stairs again.” “That is quite evident,” said Minna, looking sorrowfully at the dead girl. “Oh, Mr Potter,—Rodney,—what _does_ it all mean?” “It will take a lot of clearing up, ma’am, before anybody can say what it means. Where were you at this time, Kelly?” “In my own room, asleep,” answered the butler. “You heard nothing of the goings on?” “No; my room is up in the third story, and I sleep very soundly.” “Humph! You do? Well, how about the doors and windows? I suppose they were locked and barred as usual?” “Yes, they were,” asserted Kelly. “I always look after those,—especially nowadays.” “Then there was no way for an intruder to get in this house, last night, between midnight, say, and morning?” “No way, sir,” assented Kelly. “Then this girl was murdered by either you, Kelly, or by Mr Granniss. Those marks on her throat of a strangling hold, were made by a man,—and by a strong man. Either of you two could have done it,—now, which one did?” “Not I, sir,” Kelly denied, as calmly as if he were merely refuting a slight accusation. “I know nothing about it.” “I don’t believe you do,” said Potter, judicially, “but I do think you’re implicated, Mr Granniss. Were you in your room all night?” “Of course I was. I retired about one o’clock, and I didn’t open my door again until I was summoned this morning to learn of Martha’s death.” “You say that glibly enough,—but it will take some proof.” “No; your denial of it, or suspicion of my veracity will take the proof. Can you produce it?” “You’re not wise to be so cocksure, sir. There is such a thing as elimination, and I say that only you could have done this thing. The women are not capable of such a deed, and I’ve no reason to suspect Kelly.” “And just what is your reason for suspecting me?” Rodney’s eyes were beginning to grow stern and his jaw set firmly. “Also, what evidence have you for your suspicions?” “Come off, Potter,” Bill Dunn warned him. “You ain’t got no real evidence against Mr Granniss, and you’d better go easy. To my mind, Mr Granniss ain’t going to kill a servant girl without a good reason.” “He may have a very good reason. Suppose Mr Granniss was at the safe and suppose Martha surprised him there as she had startled Mrs Varian. And suppose Mr Granniss didn’t want it known that he had been there, so he took the only sure method of silencing her lips.” “And what would Mr Granniss be doing at the safe?” asked Dunn. “Well, I happen to know that there was considerable of value in that safe last night.” Rodney started. How did the sheriff know that? But he said, “This is aside the mark, Mr Potter. For Mrs Varian has trusted me with the combination of the safe. I can open it at any time without let or hindrance. Why, then, should I sneak down in the middle of the night to do so?” “For the very good reason that you wanted to take the money that was there and make off with it.” “And did I get it?”