"Mrs. Caldershaw told me how to go by that path," said Gertrude.
"One question before you go, Mr. Inspector," said I, following him to the door: "If Miss Destiny had the eye for so long in her possession, why did she not discover the secret?"
"She could not read the cipher."
"Strange. It is not a particularly difficult one."
"Have you read it?" asked Dredge. "Striver said that he had sent a drawing of it to you."
"Yes; we discovered the hiding-place of the jewels and found it empty. Now I wonder if Miss Destiny did read the cipher and steal the jewels."
"She says she did not, and----" Here Dredge looked again at his watch. "I really have no time to say more: you must excuse me," and he hurried away rapidly.
I turned to Gertrude when we heard the door close behind him. "Well," said I, with a half smile, "now that the truth has been discovered we can marry."
She sobbed. "Oh, Cyrus, can you marry the niece of a murderess?"
"I would marry you, if you committed the crime yourself," I said, kissing her fondly.