"No, I went to the office this morning to look at some deeds connected with the property. They had to turn out the deed-box. It is large and hadn't been turned out to the very bottom for some time. As we searched, Merry picked up that envelope which was closed. He gave it to me. Merry says he never saw it before, so I expect poor Flora slipped it into the box one day when he was out of the room." "But why should she do that?" "I am as puzzled to account for her reason as I am to know what the message means." "Can't Merry enlighten you?" "No. I tell you he never saw the envelope till he handed it to me." "Hold on a shake," said Tracey, handing Calvert a cigarette; "smoke this while I get my thinking-machine into order." "You'll find it difficult to guess what it is," said Calvert, lighting up. "Merry and I were an hour over it this morning. He doesn't know what it means, and I'm sure I don't." "You must be a couple of thick-heads," snapped Tracey, whose temper was not improved by Mrs. Baldwin's visit; "the way it's worded shows that Mrs. Brand expected to be killed." Arnold started to his feet. "What do you say?" "Mrs. Brand expected to be killed," said the American, with great distinctness; "she says, 'if you get the money'--well, you couldn't get the money till she was dead." "No, but what does the message mean?" Tracey laid the paper on his knees and looked across Calvert's shoulder with his bright eyes dancing. "Oh, I guess it's panning out all square," said he quietly; "I came here as you know in the hope of finding some papers overlooked by that man--or woman--I guess it was a woman--who made hay while the house was deserted. Evidently the idea was to destroy all trace of your cousin's past life. Well, sir, I hunted everywhere without success. Now we'll look for the coffee stain, and under it we will find some papers which will give the whole show away. We're on the verge of learning the truth, sir." "Then you think that, expecting to be murdered, she hid certain papers giving a clue to her probable assassin?" "Yes I do, and the poor soul dared not put the message plainer, lest it should fall into other hands than yours." "Whose hands, seeing that I am the heir?" "You forget that Bocaros was the heir for a time. He might have got hold of the deed-box, and then"--Tracey shrugged his shoulders--"It's as plain as day to me!" "But do you suspect Bocaros of knowing anything of this crime?" "No. He talked too much nonsense at the outset for that. He gave himself away--always supposing he was guilty. Said that he lived in the neighbourhood--that the money was coming to him--that he could easily have gone to the villa and killed Mrs. Brand and would not be able to prove an _alibi_ by reason of living alone. No! A man who is guilty doesn't give himself away like that. But Bocaros, had he found this message, might have torn it up so as to let sleeping dogs lie." "Still I don't understand."