“I should say not,” declared Potter, “since you are still here!” He looked proud of this triumph of deduction, and went on: “You had some valuables in that safe last night, Mrs Varian, did you not?” “Yes,” replied Minna, almost smiling at the trend of the questions. “Are they there now?” “No, they are not.” “Aha! What did I tell you?” “But they are not there, because when I visited the library late last night, I took them away to my room for better protection of them.” “Oh!” Potter looked deeply chagrined. “You have them safe, then?” “Oh, yes, quite safe, thank you.” “Well, all the same,” went on the sheriff, doggedly, “Mr Granniss thought they were there, and went down to steal them.” “Maybe Martha was there on the same errand,” said Dunn, thoughtfully. “Don’t you dare say a word against that pore dead child,” cried Hannah, resenting at once any aspersion of her friend. “She would never dream of such a thing.” “What did she come down for, then?” asked Potter. “She had been down and had spoken to Mrs Varian. Then she returned to her room, you say, and went back to bed. Now, why did she go down again?” “That I do not know,” Hannah said, belligerently, “but it was for no wrong purpose. Maybe she thought again she heard burglars, and maybe,—this time she was not mistaken.” “That would be a fine theory,” Potter observed, “but for the fact that a burglar couldn’t get in or out. So if she heard any one prowling about it must have been some member of the household. Isn’t she a very daring young person?” “She was afraid of nothing,” Hannah stated. “She was great for detective stories, and she was crazy to investigate and inquire into all the goin’s on of this terrible house! Martha was a dabster at puzzles. She was terrible quick-witted, and sensed out everything—like a ferret! I never saw her beat at findin’ out things!” “That would explain why an evil-doer, if there was one, would put her out of the way rather than have her live to tell of his depredations.” “All right, sir,” Hannah conceded, “if so be’s you put it that way. But don’t you accuse that innocent girl of any wrongdoings herself, for she never did! Never.” “It does look that way,” Rodney said, thoughtfully. “If Martha had that investigating proclivity, that would explain her reappearance down stairs,—that is, if there was a burglar,—yet, how could there be one? As usual, we’re reasoning round in a circle. Now, Mr Potter, I think your conclusions are logical and probable, except in so far as they drag me into this thing. I didn’t leave my room last night at all. But I shall be at your disposal any time you want to question me further on the subject. Now, I want to go to the library and attend to my daily routine of business matters. Also, Mr Wise will arrive before noon, and perhaps his skill may be helpful to your inquest.” Shortly before noon Pennington Wise did arrive.