"Etwald!" repeated Lady Meg, thoughtfully. "Is he not the doctor of whom you have made so great a friend?"  
"Yes. I took a to my , and it stung me," replied Jen, who, in his excitement, was pacing backward and forward with hasty steps. "But I shall be even with him. In some way or another I believe it is possible to bring home to him this triple crime."
 
"Do you think he is guilty?"
 
"I am certain of it. Etwald to my poor lad, in his way, that if he Miss Dallas, or even announced his engagement with her, his fate would be of life in death."
 
"What did that mean?"
 
"Mean? Death without the addition of life. That word was brought in to render the prophecy--if it may be called so--confusing. Etwald was in love with Miss Dallas. He found in Maurice a formidable rival. He warned him by his pretended prophecy that he should him if he persisted in his path. Maurice announced his engagement upon the very day when Etwald, the designing scoundrel, went to pay his addresses to the girl. From that moment he Maurice to death. Yes, I truly believe that such was his design, and that he offered to buy the devil-stick in order to carry out his criminal intention."
 
"Did he ask to buy the devil-stick?" demanded Lady Meg, in surprise.
 
"Twice; and both times I refused to part with it. Failing to get it honestly, he stole it."
 
"You have no proof of that."
 
"I don't know so much about that," retorted Jen sharply. "You heard what Battersea confessed, that he had taken a message from Etwald to Dido about the devil-stick. Well, this doctor has some mysterious, influence over this negress--what sort of influence I do not know, but she appears to be afraid of him. I believe he her to steal the devil-stick, and that by his directions she filled it with a fresh poison."
 
"But could she prepare the special kind of poison required?"
 
"Assuredly. She confessed as much. Her grandmother came from Ashantee, where this devil-stick is used for the purpose of destroying people. Dido inherits a knowledge of the family secrets, and knows how to make this poison. It cures nervous headaches--that is, the perfume of it does--and Dido made some with which she a handkerchief to round the head of her young mistress."
 
"How do you know that the poisons are the same?"
 
"From the , sickly, heavy odor," explained Jen, ; and continued: "Well, you can see the rest for yourself. Dido filled that devil-stick with the poison," he to the article on the table, "some of it in the wand yet. Etwald used the devil-stick to kill Maurice, and on going back to tell Dido of his success I have no doubt he dropped it inside the gates of Mrs. Dallas' grounds, where, as you have heard, it was found by Battersea. Oh, it is as plain as day to me," cried Jen, . "Etwald killed Maurice and stole the devil-stick to accomplish the murder."
 
"You have certainly made out a strong case against this man," said Meg, after a pause, "but it is all theory. Your proofs?"
 
"I shall find them."
 
"That will be difficult."
 
"Doubtless. I hardly anticipated an easy task when I undertook to learn who killed my dear lad. Besides, David will help me."
 
Lady Meg sighed, and rising to her feet, she drew her cloak round her tall form.
 
"I shall help you also," she said sadly. "That is, if you will accept of my help."
 
"Assuredly. You loved Maurice--"
 
"To my cost, major; but he did not love me. This girl--this Miss Dallas," she added in a voice, "she must be very lovely, for Mr. Sarby loves her also. A woman who has three men at her feet must be wonderful."
 
Jen his shoulders.
 
"She is certainly beautiful," said he, indifferently, "but she is not clever, and her weak nature is enslaved by the gross of Dido."
 
"I should not think from your description that she was likely to attract Maurice," said Lady Meg, in a low voice; "but he loved her dearly; and I--" She made a gesture of despair and moved toward the door. On the threshold she paused and held out her hand. "Good-by, major; should I hear anything further I shall let you know. But the tramp?"
 
"I shall keep him here."
 
"Be careful lest he goes away."
 
"Oh, there is no fear of that," said Jen, in a confident tone. "Free quarters and plenty of food will keep Battersea in my kitchen. If he were guilty of the crime, he would not stay, but as it is he will remain under my eye. I intend to question him further about the connection between Dido and Etwald; I wonder what power the doctor holds over the negress."
 
"You can learn that only from the woman herself."
 
"Or from Etwald," rejoined Jen. "If I can only succeed in having him arrested he may confess all."
 
"Let us hope he will," replied Lady Meg, and after shaking hands again with Jen, she took her departure.
 
When the major had seen her carriage drive away he returned to look after the devil-stick, and examined it long and carefully. Undoubtedly it had been filled with fresh poison, and undoubtedly the poison, from the evidence heretofore set , had been prepared by Dido. Jen was more certain than ever that Etwald and the negress had stolen the devil-stick and had Maurice with it. But the theft of the body! It was that which puzzled him. He could understand why Etwald wanted Maurice removed from his path. He could explain, on those grounds, why the devil-stick had been stolen. But what reason could the pair have for the removal of the body? The poor boy had died, and his could be of no use to those who had murdered him. Yet it had disappeared, and the only person who could give any evidence as to who had entered the room on that fatal night was Jaggard. But up to the present moment Jaggard had remained of giving any clear evidence. Absolutely certain that Etwald was guilty, that Dido was an , Jen could not see his way to proving his case without the assistance of Jaggard.
 
At first he thought of going into Deanminster for the purpose of speaking with Arkel about the discovery of the devil-stick; but upon reflection he deemed it wiser not to do so, at all events for the present. Arkel could come only to the same conclusion as himself--namely, that Battersea, innocent of the crime, had picked up the devil-stick on the grounds of Mrs. Dallas. Regarding his suspicions of Etwald, the major to keep these to himself until he was in a position to prove them; for if Etwald were guilty, the slightest hint that the police were on his track would............