"I did, Miss Bellin."
"It was a dream," she answered, "an idle dream. You may have slept there, but you never met Francis within its walls."
"We are on a fool's errand," said Felix derisively; "I thought so all along."
"Come and see," I said, dismounting at the door of the inn; "he laughs best who laughs last."
It seemed to me that Olivia made as though to turn her horse's head away from the house, but by this time the hand of Felix was already on the bridle rein, and she suppressed the momentary inclination to flee. The action revived my suspicions. With a half sigh she dismounted with the aid of Felix and we entered the house.
All was as I had left it. The blinds were down, the rooms mildewed and desolate, the fireplaces filled with heaps of gray ashes. Olivia drew her riding skirts closely round her and shuddered. I led upstairs to the room of Francis. Here the door had fallen down and we walked on it into the room. To my surprise the bed was empty.
"Well, Denham," said Felix, after a pause, "where is the dead body to whom you have given my name?"
"Someone has been here and taken it away!"
"I don't think so. The absence of the body only proves the truth of what I said from the first. You dreamed your adventure!"
Before I could reply Olivia burst into hysterical tears. The strain on her nerves was very great, and now that the climax was reached she broke down utterly. Felix took her in his arms and soothed her as he best could, while I, utterly bewildered by the turn events had taken, carefully searched the room. All was in vain. I could find neither body, nor clothes, nor aught pertaining to Francis Briarfield. I began to think to myself that I must be dreaming. But that was out of the question. The only conclusion I could come to was that Strent had watched me leave the house and then returned to make away with the body. Without doubt it was Strent who had slain my unfortunate friend, and now had hidden the corpse in some quaking bog.