"I am only a student," resumed Okiu, "but I may be of assistance here. And since there is nothing that I can do for _you_, perhaps the police would----" A gesture finished the sentence.
"Mr. Osborne, who has charge of the matter, is at the gate--or was a few moments ago," returned the secret agent.
With a nod the Japanese left them and walked around to the front of the house; Ashton-Kirk, without a word of comment upon him or his sayings, bent down and once more studied the foot-prints. One spot in particular seemed to attract him; it was about five feet from the window and the ground seemed a good deal scuffed and trampled.
"Just here," said the secret agent, "the two who were within there spent some little time in talk. There may have been some sort of an altercation between them; at least the indications are that they stamped about more than is usual in an ordinary talk. After a space the man went around by the rear of the house, for here you see his prints lost in the confusion. But the woman went the other way, as these three sharp impressions indicate," pointing. "However, the grass becomes thicker here and the sod tougher, and the signs fail. We can judge that she continued in that direction only by the fact that we fail to find any returning impressions."
They continued here for a little longer, then they made their way to the rear door and entered the kitchen.
Old Nanon was busily scouring some pans. By the range sat Drevenoff.
"Good-morning," said the secret agent, as he entered.
Drevenoff arose and stood as though at their service. But the old Breton woman was as severe and erect as ever; her thin-lipped mouth was set firmly, her keen gray eyes looked out from under the thick gray brows.
"I am going to go over the house once more," said Ashton-Kirk, "but," to the old woman, "I shall not ask you to accompany me this time."
"You are not like the regular police, then," said she. "They had me up and down with them for hours. And the other----"
"The coroner's man," suggested Drevenoff.
"Yes, that is the one. He was even worse than the others. And the questions! Mother of God! I never heard anything like them before."
As the two young men passed through the kitchen Drevenoff spoke again.