“That’s my experience of them, certainly.” Reeves had no experience in the matter whatsoever, but there was no harm in agreeing. “Well, I’d better tell you about myself first of all, and how I come to be mixed up in the business. My name isn’t, legally, Miss Rendall-Smith, although it was my maiden name. My legal name is Mrs. Brotherhood.” “You mean that you are——” “His widow. It must be a wonderful thing to be a detective, Mr. Reeves.” Reeves was thrilled with the compliment, which a more introspective person might have suspected of irony. He suddenly remembered that a detective ought to have a note-book, and write down facts in it. He had no note-book, so he said, “Excuse me,” and fetched a sheet of the club note-paper. On this he wrote down in pencil “Miss R.-S. = Mrs. B.” It looked rather silly, somehow, when he had written it. “I was brought up in these parts, Mr. Reeves. My father used to be Rector of Binver. When that photograph was taken—those photographs were taken, my father was still alive, and I was still unmarried. The only person who’d ever asked me to marry him was Mr. Davenant—I expect you know that he belongs to these parts too.” “I didn’t actually know it.” The phrase suggested that Reeves might have inferred it, but had not any direct information on the point. “I suppose he didn’t live at the Hatcheries then?” “No, his people had a house near here, which has been pulled down since. His mother, of course, was an Oatvile.” “To be sure.” Reeves sucked his pencil, and wrote down “Mr. Davenant senior m. Miss Oatvile.” Then a light burst upon him—“Good heavens!” he said, “then that’s why he knew about the secret passage?” “He would, of course. He’s told me that he used often to play here when he was a boy. Then there was a coolness between his people and the Oatviles, I think because his people became Catholics. No quarrel, you know, only they didn’t see so much of each other after that. Anyhow, Mr. Davenant was badly in love with me and wanted me to marry him. I wouldn’t—partly because I wasn’t quite sure whether I liked him, partly because my father was very Low Church, and he’d have been certain to make trouble over it. Then the Davenants left the place, and I did too after my father died; and we didn’t see any more of one another.” “When was that?”