Here Sir Charles threw in something which he felt to be in the nature of a facer.
"Quite so," he admitted. "But do not forget, Mr. Cleek, that the deflected message was sent last night, and that the woman was not then in this house."
The queer little one-sided smile cocked up the corner of Cleek's mouth. "Sure of that, Sir Charles?" he inquired placidly. "Sure that she was not? I am told, it is true, that she left the note saying she was going to drown herself, and disappeared four nights ago; I am also told that since the date of Mr. Beachman's suspension this place has been under constant guard night and day, but I have _not_ been told, however, that any of the guards saw her leave the place. No, no, no! Don't jump to conclusions so readily, gentlemen. She will be out of it now,--out and never likely to return; the news of that miscarried message would warn her that something was wrong, and she would be 'up and out of it' like a darting swallow. The question is, how and when did she get out? Let's have in the guard and see."
The sentries were brought in one after the other and questioned. At no time since they were first put on guard, they declared--at _no time_, either by day or by night--had any living creature entered or left the house up to now, except the Admiral Superintendent, his secretary, the auditor, and the nurse who had been summoned to look after the stricken girl. To that they one and all were willing to take solemn oath.
There is an old French proverb which says: "He that protests too much leads to the truth in spite of himself." It was the last man to be called who did this.
"No, sir, nobody passed, either in or out, I'll take my dying oath to that," asserted he, his feelings riled up by the thought that this constant questioning of his statement was a slur upon his devotion to his duty. "There aren't nobody going to hint as I'm a slacker as don't know what he's a-doing of, or a blessed mug that don't obey orders; no, sir--no fear! Sir Charles's orders was, 'Nobody in or out' and nobody in or out it was; my hat! yuss! Why, sir"--turning to the dock master--"you must 'a' known; he must 'a' told you. I wouldn't allow even young Master Reggie in last night when he came a-pleading to be let in to get the school books he'd left behind."