“Who has been to your cottage lately?”
“Oh! Crowds of people. Someone is always drifting in and out. I had a sort of tea party the day before yesterday. Lettice Protheroe, Dennis, and all their crowd. And then one or other of the old Pussies comes in now and again.”
“Do you lock the cottage up when you go out?”
“No; why on earth should I? I’ve nothing to steal. And no one does lock their house up round here.”
“Who looks after your wants there?”
“An old Mrs. Archer comes in every morning to ‘do for me’ as it’s called.”
“Do you think she would remember when the pistol was there last?”
“I don’t know. She might. But I don’t fancy conscientious dusting is her strong point.”
“It comes to this—that almost anyone might have taken that pistol?”
“It seems so—yes.”
The door opened and Dr. Haydock came in with Anne Protheroe.
She started at seeing Lawrence. He, on his part, made a tentative step towards her.
“Forgive me, Anne,” he said. “It was abominable of me to think what I did.”
“I—” She faltered, then looked appealingly at Colonel Melchett. “Is it true, what Dr. Haydock told me?”