"Yes, sir."
"But is it true? In the explanation which Miss Dare gave me last night of this affair, she uttered statements essentially different from those she made in court to-day. She then told me she was in the observatory when the girl came for her; that she was looking through a telescope which was behind a high rack filled with charts; and that—— Why do you start?"
"I didn't start," protested Hickory.
"I beg your pardon," returned Mr. Ferris.
"Well, then, if I did make such a fool of myself, it was because so far her story is plausible enough. She was in that very position when I visited the observatory, you remember, and she was so effectually concealed I didn't see her or know she was there, till I looked behind the rack."
"Very good!" interjected Mr. Ferris. "And that," he resumed, "she did not answer the girl or make known her presence, because at the moment the girl came in she was deeply interested in watching something that was going on in the town."
"In the town!" repeated Byrd.
"Yes; the telescope was lowered so as to command a view of the town, and she had taken advantage of its position (as she assured me last night) to consult the church clock."
"The church clock!" echoed Byrd once more. "And what time did she say it was?" breathlessly cried both detectives.
"Five minutes to twelve."