"Good-by, dear child. I shall say _au revoir_ to you, Mr. Halliday, as I shall expect you to come and see me again, if only to let me know that your fortune has come true."
"Yes," said Miss Armour positively. "I am quite certain that the chance foretold by the cards will be given you."
Dan hoped it would, and thanked the lady for her happy prediction, after which he and Freddy, with Mildred between them, left the weird house, and walked up the darkened road toward the village. Halliday went at once to the "Peacock," wishing to give Freddy and his beloved chance of a _tête-à-tête_. They took it readily enough, as Laurance escorted the girl home. It was an hour before he returned to an overdue supper, which Mrs. Pelgrin served with fierce grumbling. After supper, Dan spoke his mind to Laurance.
"When I took up that extra pack of cards," he said abruptly, "I smelt that same perfume that hung about Sir Charles's clothes when he was dead."
"What!" Freddy sat up aghast in his corner of the room, "the perfume about which Penn explained?"
"The same. But did he explain? It seems to me that he told a lie. If he only had one bottle, and the perfume is not procurable in England, seeing it is manufactured in Sumatra, how did Miss Armour become possessed of it?"
"It may not be the same scent," said Laurance, still aghast; "you see a bird in every bush, Dan."
"This is not a question for the eyes, but for the nose. I tell you, Freddy, that the perfume is exactly the same."
"Why did you not ask Miss Armour about it?"
"I did; you heard me. She got it from Mrs. Jarsell, so she said. Now where did Mrs. Jarsell get it? From Sumatra?"
"No," said Dan decisively. "I shall not mention the subject to Mrs. Jarsell until I have questioned Marcus Penn once more. He told me a lie once, by saying that no one in this country possessed this especial perfume. He shan't tell me another."
"How do you mean to get him to tell you the truth?" asked Freddy dubiously.
"Never mind. I have some sort of a plan. I shan't explain until it comes off. There is some connection between that perfume and the crime, I am certain," concluded Dan, with a positive air.
Laurance wriggled uneasily. "Oh, that is absurd. On such assumption, you suggest that Miss Armour knows about the matter."