Marsland bit his lips at the thought of how he had been false to his promise to Miss Maynard. He had kept her name out of the discovery of the crime, but he had unwittingly directed attention to the fact that a woman had only recently been in that room.
The comb was handed to Crewe for examination. It was about three inches long and was slightly convex in shape. On the outside was a thin strip of gold mounting. Crewe handed the comb back.
“You sat in this room before going upstairs, Marsland?” he asked, turning to Sir George’s nephew.
“Yes; I was here about a quarter of an hour or twenty minutes.”
“Was the window open when you came in? Did you close it?”
“I did not close it, but it must have been closed, as otherwise I would have noticed it open. It was raining and blowing hard while I was here.” Marsland thought to himself that any information he could give about the window was useless in view of the fact that Miss Maynard had been in the room some time before he arrived.
“Was this the room in which you found the lamp that you took upstairs?” continued Crewe.
“Yes.”
“I think you told me that there was no light in the house when you entered?”
“The place was in darkness. I found a candlestick on the hallstand. I lit that first and after coming in here I lit the lamp.” He had decided to adhere in his statements to what Miss Maynard had told him she had done before he arrived.