“Very well, then,” said Kearns, “if that’s the case, we’ll leave the window and maybe you can follow me into the grounds. But before doing that, let me tell you one other fact I discovered. It was this: I inquired into the exact dates on which the three previous attacks had taken place and made another little discovery.”
“What was it?”
“Was there any moon last night?” asked Kearns, suddenly breaking off.
“No,” answered the Professor, after a moment’s reflection; “the last quarter went out three nights ago.”
“And last night was quite a dark night, wasn’t it?”
“Yes,” replied the Professor; “slightly hazy and overcast.”
“Any heavy wind?”
“No,” answered the Professor.
“Just so,” continued Kearns, “and it was the same on the occasions of the other three attacks. I’ve consulted the weather records and in each case found a night following shortly after the wane of the moon’s last quarter—a dark, starless night, with light winds. Do you begin to scent an African in the woodpile?”
“I fear I must have a cold,” retorted the Professor, “for so far my sense of smell detects nothing.”