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The more Anstice pondered over the matter of the anonymous letters, the more inclined he was to believe that the woman Tochatti was one of the prime movers, if not the sole participator, in the affair

Leaving the subject of motive out of the question for the moment, it was evident that Tochatti, of all the household, would have the -table or bureau; and Anstice knew, through a chance word, that on the occasion of Mrs Carstairs' fatal visit to Brighton, she had been accompanied by her maid

True, the woman was supposed, by those around her, to be incapable of writing, even to the extent of signing her name; but, as the export had pointed out in the course of the interview, it was not unknown for a person to deny the possession of soain sympathy or from some other and less creditable reason

The question of motive, however, was a more complicated one Why should this wo done her an irrevocable wrong--always supposing Tochatti to be the culprit--why should she seek now to bring dishonour on a e, done her any har seemed, on the face of it, absurd; yet so notion that Tochatti was in reality at the botto his visit to Mr Clive he walked over to Greengates to discuss the matter with Sir Richard Wayne

Sir Richard was almost pathetically pleased to see his visitor, for he hter sorely, and he welcoy Novears in Sir Richard's cosy sanctu expert and the conclusions to be drawn therefrom--a narrative to which Sir Richard listened with close attention; and when Anstice had finished his story the older man took up the subject briskly

"You really think this woman may be implicated? Of course, as you say, she would have opportunities for tas; but still--the question of motive----"

"I quite realize that difficulty, Sir Richard But I confess to a very strong feeling of distrust for the woested alner, and Tochatti is about the only foreign, or half-foreign, person in Littlefield, I should say"

"Quite so" Sir Richard leaned back in his chair and placed his finger-tips together in a judicial attitude "Well, let us consider the question of motive a little more fully If the writer really were Tochatti, weThe question is, what feeling would be sufficiently strong to drive her to a deed of this nature?"