“Exactly.”
“But this person was dark,” insisted Maynard; “at least so described by the clerk.”
“Also described by the clerk as a man,” said Nick, with a smile.
“How do you know that these hairs were not left here by some former occupant of the room?” asked the young man.
“Because,” was the reply, “she combed her hair, after removing her black wig, before she removed her clothes. There were short red hairs on the collar of the coat she wore.”
“A red-haired woman,” mused Maynard.
“Very slender and with black eyes,” added Nick. “She couldn’t color her eyes, you know, and the clerk said they were black. We may also add a very nice white complexion.”
Nick went to the washstand in the corner of the room and pointed to a black sediment on the sides of the bowl. The piece of toilet soap which lay on the marble top was also rimmed with black. The interior of the bowl and the surface of the soap were still moist.
“There is where she washed off her face stain,” said Nick. “So we have a slender, red-haired, fair-complexioned woman, about five feet three, according to the clothes, with very small feet and hands.”