"Red mud!" stammered Lester, with what appeared to be genuine amazement. "I have no red mud on my clothes!" and he looked down at his apparel. "I refer to the clothes you wore last night," said Drek shortly. At this moment Eliza entered with a bundle, which she threw on the floor; and to this Drek turned his attention. Coat, trousers, and waist-coat were all of light-grey cloth, and on the arms of the coat and the knees of the trousers were splashes of dried mud, red in hue. The inspector glanced at them, then at the startled face of Lester, and searched the pockets with a practised hand. He could not find a single article in any one of them. "Where is the pistol, Dr. Lester?" he asked, rising from his knees. "Pistol! What pistol?" said Lester, with a nervous tremour. "The revolver which you took out last night." "How--how do you know I took a revolver out last night?" asked the doctor, with a start. "I saw you take it out, sir," broke in Eliza. "You took it out to kill Miss Milly!" Lester gave a cry of alarm, and fell back in his chair. "Are--are you mad?" he said. "I--I--kill--kill my own daughter!" "Well, you said you wanted to last night," persisted Eliza. "No--no--no!" cried the doctor, covering his face. "It is impossible!" "Improbable, but not impossible," corrected Drek. "Where is the revolver?" "I don't know; I--I lost it." "Where?" "I tell you I don't know; I can't remember," said the wretched man. "Dr. Lester," said the inspector in a stern manner, "let me advise you to be careful, sir, for you stand in a very dangerous position. There is evidence against you that you killed your daughter." "I tell you it's impossible!" shrieked Lester, the perspiration beading on his forehead. "I kill Milly! I loved her! I would not kill a fly! I--I--O God!--Mexton, you don't believe that I killed Milly?" "I can't say," said Paul, sorry for the man, although he was doubtful of his innocence. "The servant here says you were angry with Milly last night, and went out with a revolver in search of her." "No, no! I went in search of Lovel." "Lovel?" cried Drek, astonished by the introduction of this new name--"what had Mr. Lovel to do with it?" "He was with my daughter last night; Iris said he was." "At what time?" "Between eight and nine o'clock. Milly was in love with him, and as she was engaged to Herne, I was angry with Lovel. I went out to threaten him, but not to kill him, or her--no, no!" "Where did you go?" asked Paul quickly. "I don't know, I can't remember. I left this house with a pistol, and that is the last thing I can recall till I found myself at dawn in my own garden." "There is red mud on your clothes," said Drek, "so you must have been in the Winding Lane, where the red mud is most plentiful." "I might have been. What of that?" "Simply this: the dead body of your daughter was found in the Winding Lane. She was shot through the head, and you went out with a pistol."