"Well, she was in San Remo at the time my father was murdered. She loved him, and I dare say, in spite of having been discharged, watched him. She might know who the lady in blue--but I forgot, you are ignorant of all these things."
"Not at all. Don't I tell you that Lord Derrington told me the whole story? I see what you mean. You think that Mrs. Jersey might know who killed your father, and for the sake of shutting her up the assassin committed the second murder."
"That is my idea," said George, coolly.
"It's ingenious, but it won't hold water. However, we can talk of that on another occasion. In the mean time I wish to tell you how I discovered the secret door."
"There's no need to. Derrington told you that I knew this house, as my grandfather had brought me up in it. When you knew through Mrs. Ward that I had passed a night here, and learned through her, by means of Train, that the yellow holly berry had been found in the woman's sitting-room, you set to work to find out how I escaped from this room. You knew that Train had locked the door."
"Yes," answered Bawdsey, "he told Mrs. Ward that."
"He seems to have told her everything. However, to make a long story short, you hunted for an exit and you found it."
"That's so," replied Bawdsey, quietly, "and now we had better return to the sitting-room and talk over the matter quietly."
"One moment," said George. "Have you told Lord Derrington or Mrs. Ward of this discovery?"
"No, and I won't tell them, either. I wish to get you out of trouble, Mr. Brendon. They haven't the least idea that you could leave the room, and the impression with them is that Train is screening you." Bawdsey shrugged his shoulders with contempt and passed George another cigar. "Just as though the man would incriminate himself if that were so."