“Did you hear in which direction your cousin went on leaving your uncle? Did he go immediately to his room?”
“He may have done so, but if he did, he did not stay long, for very soon I heard him return and proceed directly down stairs.”
“How long was he below?”
“A long time. I had moved from my seat and my eye was no longer on the clock so I cannot say how long.”
“Did you hear him when he came up for a second time?”
“Yes; he is not a light stepper.”
“Where did he go? Directly to his room?”
“No, he stopped on the way.”
“How, stopped on the way?”
“When he reached the top of the stairs he paused like one hesitating. But not for long. Soon I heard him coming in the direction of my room, pass it by and proceed to our uncle’s door—the one in front so little-used as to be negligible—where he lingered so long that I finally got up and peered from my own doorway to see what he was doing?”