“Apparently, he did, Mr. Bernard,” she replied. “He is not an inquisitive person.”
CHAPTER VI
ALL THE YOUNG PEOPLE
Brent smiled openly and Graham discreetly at Bernard’s expense. Landis contented himself with an inquiring glance toward his imperturbable friend.
Here was the type of case to arouse every man-hunting instinct in the subtle old detective. Bernard was subtle, far more subtle than his brusque, sometimes overbearing methods seemed to indicate. Of this he had shown ample evidence in the Carson case. No doubt he would give proof of it in this case as well. In the meantime, Landis proposed to give him full share of the road, go his own pace and get there first if he could.
Entirely unruffled, Bernard had not shifted his grim, speculative regard from Miss Mount’s face. She returned it unsmiling, as composed as he.
“Well, Miss Mount,” he growled at last, “that covers what happened, I think. We’re much obliged to you. Now perhaps we ought to have a clear idea of the plan of the house. Suppose you describe the general plan of it.”
“Certainly!” Miss Mount paused a moment to arrange her data. “I’ll describe the main building first. On this floor, the rooms from front to back on the left of the front door are the drawing-room, the dining-room, the butler’s pantry, the kitchen and beyond that a wide back porch.
“From front to back in the center there is the vestibule, the main hall, the main staircase, the back hall which opens upon the same rear porch and the back stairs down to the cellar and up to the second floor.