“Saw nothing?”
“I saw a man come out of this house hurriedly, soon after I came on duty. I was standing on the opposite side, under the wall of the Gardens. The lady what’s downstairs let him out and told him to fetch the doctor quickly.”
“Ah! Short, the servant,” I observed.
“Where is he?” asked the inspector, while the detective with the ready note-book scribbled down the name.
“He came to fetch me, and Miss Mivart has now sent him to fetch her sister. He was the first to make the discovery.”
“Oh, was he?” exclaimed the detective-sergeant, with some suspicion. “It’s rather a pity that he’s been sent out again. He might be able to tell us something.”
“He’ll be back in an hour, I should think.”
“Yes, but every hour is of consequence in a matter of this sort,” remarked the sergeant. “Look here, Davidson,” he added, turning to one of the plain-clothes men, “just go round to the station and send a wire to the Yard, asking for extra assistance. Give them a brief outline of the case. They’ll probably send down Franks or Moreland. If I’m not mistaken, there’s a good deal more in this mystery than meets the eye.”
The man addressed obeyed promptly, and left.
“What do you know of the servants here?” asked the inspector of the constable.