"Yes," said Tilly, in a frightened voice, and fished in the pocket of her blue dress. "This and this. One was in the kitchen, the ribbon, and t'other was on the sitting-room floor."
The object found on the sitting-room floor was the invitation sent by Starth to Lancaster asking him to call. Probably Starth, for the furtherance of the plot, had taken it out of Frank's pocket when he lay insensible, intending to destroy it, but had forgotten to do so. It must have lain unnoticed on the floor till picked up by Tilly. "And you found this before the police came?"
"Yes, sir. I should have told 'em, but I was that scared as I didn't."
"You did very wrong," said Eustace, severely. "The coroner insisted that the deceased did not ask Lancaster to see him, and this is the proof that he did. What about the ribbon?"
"I found it in the kitchen," said Tilly, in a subdued voice. "It is a tarting ribbon, and I thought it pretty."
"Have you worn it?"
"No, sir, and I ain't told anyone of it."
"I'll take charge of these," said Eustace, putting the articles into his pocket. "Say nothing about them. Now, did you find the window as you left it when you returned?"
"No," whimpered Tilly. "When I went in to lock it for the night it wos close shut and locked."
"Did Mrs. Betts do that?"