This was rather a roundabout explanation, and Bocaros curled his lip. In spite of his denial he seemed to suspect Arnold. But that Jasher touched his arm he would have asked a question. As it was he allowed the agent to speak. "You knew that your cousin had such a room?" asked Jasher. "Yes. Certainly I knew." "Then you have sometimes visited her?" "I have. My cousin and I were good friends. I did not see much of her certainly, but I have been in her house." "Did you know that Mr. Fane had a similar white room?" "Yes. He told me it was his own idea. I said that some one else had been beforehand. That I had a cousin who had such a room." "Did you mention your cousin's name?" "Not at the time. Flora said that the White Room was her own idea, and Fane insisted that the idea was original, emanating from his brain. I thought it was a coincidence." "There appear to be a great many coincidences about this case in connection with you," murmured Bocaros, but of this remark Calvert for his own reasons took no notice. "Seeing that your cousin was killed in the White Room in Ajax Villa, Mr. Calvert," pursued Jasher, "did it not strike you that it would be wise to draw the attention of the police to the other White Room?" "Certainly not. Why should I have connected Flora with the dead woman? I never knew she was missing until the man Webb of Hampstead drew attention to her disappearance, and by that time the White Room at Hampstead had become known to the police. In fact, the room there, taken in connection with Mrs. Brand's disappearance, made Webb write to the police. I don't see how you can blame me." "I do not," said the agent patiently. "I am only trying to get at the truth." "I don't know it." "You know Miss Mason, and she is the sister-in-law of Fane----" "What of that? Do you mean to hint that she----" "No! no!" said Jasher hastily; "but it was stated at the inquest that Fane alone had the latch-key, that it was never out of his possession, that the man who made it--invented that particular latch-key I may say--never made another. How then did Mrs. Brand enter the house, and how did she know that the family were at the seaside?" "I cannot tell you. Why do you ask me?" "I thought Miss Mason--seeing that you are engaged to her--might have spoken out." Arnold's face grew red. "I forbid you to bring Miss Mason's name into the matter," he cried imperiously; "she has nothing to do with this affair. She was stopping with Mrs. Baldwin on that night, and never went near Ajax Villa when her sister was absent. Fane and his wife were at the seaside--so were the servants. How can you implicate any of these people?" "I don't say that I can," retorted Jasher. "I am simply groping in the dark. But the fact remains that Mr. Fane alone had the latch-key. It must have been out of his possession so that some one could take an impression and have a duplicate made, or----" "Well, or what?"