"One moment," said Vernon, laying his hand on her sleeve as she moved away. "I want to know if any guest arrived after Mr. Dimsdale went into the library."
"Two. But Ida and I made them unmask. We knew them quite well. Mr. and Mrs. Horner from Finchley. And I may tell you, Mr. Vernon, that Mr. Dimsdale came out of the library at five minutes to eleven for a single moment to ask if you had arrived."
"I wish I had arrived," said Vernon bitterly, "I might have prevented this tragedy. Are you sure, Miss Hest, that no strangers were at the ball?"
"Well," she said thoughtfully, "it is difficult to say, since all were masked. But no stranger was there to my knowledge, and when the crime was discovered everyone unmasked. We knew all the guests, as we had known them when they arrived; still, some stranger might have slipped in. But I must go to Ida. I'll tell you anything else you wish to know in the morning."
Vernon nodded and released his grip of her sleeve. She flitted away into the central room on her way to Ida's bedroom. Vernon mused for a moment, then followed Drench into the library, where the Inspector, indeed, had already preceded him. The first glance Vernon threw around showed him that one of the French windows was open.
"I thought so," he said pointing out this to the Inspector. "The Spider did not come as a guest, but watched his opportunity and slipped in at the window. At what time is Mr. Dimsdale supposed to have been strangled?"
"The doctor we called in says--so far as the state of the body shows--that the crime was committed about a quarter past eleven. Miss Dimsdale discovered it at a quarter to twelve, thirty minutes later."
"The appointment was for eleven," said Vernon nodding, "so The Spider was fifteen minutes late. But he came in there"--he pointed to the French window--"and he escaped in the same way."
"With the thousand pounds?" asked Drench drily. He did not like to be shown his business by this young man.
"I don't think so," replied Vernon musingly, and cautiously feeling his way, as it were, to a decision. "You see, Dimsdale never intended to pay the money, and therefore was not prepared with the specie from the bank. The Spider, for once, went without his booty, and did worse work for nothing than he ever did for reward."