Miss Silver took a sheet of paper out of a drawer and handed it to Charles.

“I thought you might come in, so I prepared this for you. I should like you to read it. It is a list of the cases in which I believe Grey Mask to have had a hand. In the ones marked with an asterisk the evidence is strong; in the others it is of a slighter nature; in the two last in the list it really amounts to nothing more than suspicion. You may remember some of the cases.”

Charles looked at the list. Miss Silver was right; he remembered some of the cases. What he remembered about them appalled him. His brows drew together as he read:

“ ‘The Falny Case’-Good heavens! ‘The Martin Case’ -Martin got twenty years for that.” The words came out just above his breath.

Miss Silver answered them.

“Yes. But Grey Mask was behind him, and Grey Mask went scot free. I knew Martin’s wife. She told me things- nothing, you understand, that could have been used in evidence. You know what I mean, Mr. Moray-‘The little more, and how much it is; the little less, and what worlds away.’ ”

Charles went on looking at the list. Names-a date or two-an occasional curt comment: “No arrest ever made”; “Smith arrested, but died before trial”; “Jewels never traced.” When he had read to the end, he gave the paper back with a “thank you.”

Miss Silver locked it up again.

“Do you feel quite comfortable about Miss Standing?”

“No,” said Charles.

“She had a narrow escape last night, Mr. Moray.”

Charles looked at her without speaking.

“It is not at all prudent for her to go to the theatre or to appear in public as she is doing.”

“Do you suggest that I should lock her up?”

Miss Silver coughed. Charles leaned forward.

“You speak of her having had a narrow escape. What do you mean?”

“Well, Mr. Moray, it was a narrow escape-wasn’t it?”

“How do you know about it?”

“I was following you.”

“You saw it happen?”

“Unfortunately, no. I saw Miss Standing and Miss Langton step off the kerb, with Mr. Pelham a little behind them on Miss Langton’s right. Then two men passed in front of me. I heard Miss Standing scream, and then I saw her lying on the ground. I waited until you took her away. What is her account?”

“She says that someone pushed her, and that Miss Langton saved her from going under the bus.”

Miss Silver looked at him mildly.

“Miss Langton saved her-she says that? Does she know who pushed her?”

“No, she doesn’t. Miss Silver-the two men you spoke of-were they near enough?”

“I am not sure. I spoke to them afterwards, but they declared they had not seen anything-they said they were talking. The policeman took down their names and addresses. They were quite genuine-two young clerks in a shipping office.”

“Something else happened last night,” said Charles. He gave Greta’s account of the car that had followed her.

“Was it the Daimler?” said Miss Silver.

“She doesn’t know a Daimler from a wheelbarrow,” said Charles. “And she can’t give any description of the chauffeur. The only thing she’s sure about is that he said her cousin wanted her to come at once.”

Miss Silver frowned.

“You are sure she said her cousin?”

“Perfectly. Her cousin Egbert Standing. It’s the only thing she is sure about. By the way, she has left Miss Langton and is now staying with Mrs. Foster, whom I think you know.”

Miss Silver did not reply. A small puzzled frown drew her brows together.

“What about Jaffray?” said Charles. “Anything more?”

“Jaffray has returned to his lodgings. I traced the car to a West End garage, but it was taken out late yesterday afternoon.”

“By Jaffray?”

“No, not by Jaffray. It was not brought there by Jaffray either. The same man brought it and took it away. The only thing the people at the garage appear to have noticed about him was that he had red hair.”

“Red hair?”

“So they said. If it is the man I suspect, the red hair is merely assumed. It makes a very good disguise, you know, just because everyone notices it.”

“Who do you think he is?”

“I am not prepared to say. Your story doesn’t fit in, I must follow it a little farther. You are quite sure Miss Standing said that it was her cousin Egbert who tried to carry her off?”

“She didn’t see him,” said Charles; “she only saw the chauffeur.”

Miss Silver coughed.

“I think I had better see Miss Margot Standing,” she said.

CHAPTER XXXIV

Mrs. Ravenna drove Margaret back to Sauterelle’s.

“I’m only in town for two days, and I simply must see you again. I kept to-night for a cousin whom I haven’t seen for eighteen years; but she’s wired to say she can’t leave her husband, so I’d like to have you come instead if you will. Will you, my dear? If you don’t, I shall think you’ve not forgiven me for having startled you with my stupid mistake.”

Margaret accepted. She had no wish to spend the evening alone hearing the silence of her little room give up an echo of what Charles Moray had said. She looked at the old green desk as she stood waiting for a minute or two before walking to the corner to catch her bus. The room was silent; she missed Greta’s chatter and Archie’s laugh. She looked at the old green desk, and remembered the envelope that Greta had found. It was in her mind that she would ask Mrs. Ravenna about the words which she had overheard as a child.

She waited until dinner was over and they were sitting on either side of a pleasant blazing fire, with coffee set out on a small table between them. She helped herself to candied sugar and said:

“Mrs. Ravenna-”

“Yes, my dear? What is it?”

“I remember something-I want to ask you about it- something that happened when I was a child. I remember it quite clearly, just as if I was seeing a picture. You and my mother were in a room together. My mother had on a white dress-the sun shone across it-she had a bunch of carnations here.” Margaret’s hand went up to her breast. “She was standing by the window, and you were sitting at a round table that had books on it. You had a lilac dress. I was about six years old. And I pushed open the door and saw you, and I heard my mother say, ‘It was a marriage by declaration.’ And then she saw me and said, ‘Lesbia-the child!’ ”

Mrs. Ravenna’s face showed the most lively interest.

“Fancy your remembering that old lilac dress of mine! I must say it was a very pretty one, and I always thought it suited me very well. But just think of your remembering it! It’s all I can do to remember dresses I had eighteen years ago.”

“Mrs. Ravenna,” said Margaret, “what did my mother mean?”

“What did she say?”

“She said, ‘It was a marriage by declaration.’ What did she mean?”

Mrs. Ravenna put her head on one side.

“Well, d’you know, Margaret, I’m not so very sure that I’ve any business to tell you.”

“Mrs. Ravenna-if you could!”

Lesbia Ravenna hesitated. The hour, the firelight, the comfortable after-dinner mood, all prompted her to an interesting indiscretion. On the other hand she had held her tongue for eighteen years-yes, but all the people concerned were dead-still, a promise is a promise-well, but there wasn’t any actual promise, and it’s only to Esther’s own daughter.

“Mrs. Ravenna-can’t you tell me?”

“I can. I’m just not very sure whether I ought to. I don’t see that I should be doing any harm, but-” She caught Margaret’s look. “Well, I don’t see why I shouldn’t tell you after all these years, and when they’re all dead-it’s not as if it can hurt anyone now. Of course I don’t know how much you know already.”

“I don’t know anything.”

Mrs. Ravenna shot a quick bird-like glance at her. She did know something, or why had she such an anxious look?

She hadn’t her mother’s bloom-she was far too worn for her age. But what a fine head!