"And the other? Did he speak?"
"Not in my hearing. Mr. Fletcher said something else, but I couldn't catch what it was."
"Did he appear to be at all put-out?"
"No, but he was the sort of man who never showed when he was annoyed. He sounded rather mocking, I thought. I don't think there can have been a quarrel, because he just strolled down the path with the other man quite casually, not hurrying, or anything. In fact, I rather thought that perhaps the man had walked in by mistake."
"Oh! And then?"
"Well, you know that the path to the gate twists past some bushes? As soon as they had reached the bend, I slipped from behind the bush, and ran back to the study. I - I had a wild sort of hope that my notes might be in Mr. Fletcher's desk, and it seemed to me that here was my chance to get hold of them. Most of the drawers were unlocked, and I didn't bother about them. But the centre drawer had its key in it, and I happened to know that Mr. Fletcher used to keep it locked. I've seen him take the key out of his pocket to open it. I pulled it out, but I couldn't see my notes. Then I heard Mr. Fletcher coming up the path: he was whistling. I got a sudden panic, and instead of staying where I was I shut the drawer, and whisked myself over to the door. I just had time to open it very gingerly to make sure that no one was in the hall, before escaping that way. There wasn't anyone in sight, and I slipped into the hall before Mr. Fletcher had reached the study. That was when the clock began to strike. As a matter of fact, it gave me a dreadful start, because it's one of those tall-case clocks that make a whirring noise before they begin striking. I
walked down the hall to the front door, let myself out as quietly as I could, and went home by way of Vale Avenue, which, I expect you know, cuts across the top of my own road."
There was a short silence after she had finished speaking. Hannasyde moved a paper slightly on his desk. "Mrs. North, why have you told me this?" he asked.
"But - but isn't it obvious?" she said. "I couldn't let you think that a perfectly innocent man might have murdered Mr. Fletcher! You see, I know that Mr. Fletcher was alive when that man left the house."
"How long were you in the study, the second time?" he asked.