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Page 18
CHAPTER IV
Death speaks with the tongue of Memory, and his ashen hand reaches
out of the great unknown to seize and hold fast our plighted souls.
What Maitland's reason was for spending the night with the dead body
of Darrow, or how he busied himself until morning, I do not know.
Perhaps he desired to make sure that everything remained untouched,
or, it may be, that he chose this method of preventing Gwen from
performing a vigil by the body. I thought this latter view very
probable at the time, as I had been singularly impressed with the
remarkable foresight my friend had displayed in so quickly and
adroitly getting Gwen away from everything connected with her
father's sad and mysterious death.
Arriving at my house my sister took an early opportunity to urge
upon Gwen a glass of wine, in which I had placed a generous sedative.
The terrible tension soon began to relax, and in less than half an
hour she was sleeping quietly. I dreaded the moment when she should
awake and the memory of all that had happened should descend like an
avalanche upon her. I told my sister that this would be a critical
moment, cautioning her to stay by Gwen and to give her, immediately
upon her arising, a draught I had prepared for the purpose of
somewhat deadening her sensibilities. I arose early, and went to
Maitland's laboratory to collect the things he desired. When I
returned Gwen was awake, and to my intense gratification in even a
better condition than I had dared to hope.
It was quite late when we reached her house, and Maitland had
evidently been at work several hours. He looked sharply at Gwen
when she entered, and seemed much pleased at her condition. "You
have obeyed my instructions, I see, and slept," he said, as he gave
her his hand. "Yes," she replied, "I was very tired, and the
doctor's cordial quite overcame me;" and she cast an inquiring
glance at the network of white string which Maitland had stretched
across the carpet, dividing it into squares like an immense
checker-board. In reply to her questioning look, he said: "French
detectives are the most thorough in the world, and I am about to
make use of their method of instituting an exhaustive search. Each
one of the squares formed by these intersecting strings is numbered,
and represents one square foot of carpet, the numbers running from
one to two hundred and eighty-eight. Every inch of every one of
these squares I shall examine under a microscope, and anything found
which can be of any possible interest will be carefully preserved,
and its exact location accurately marked upon this chart I have
prepared, which, as you will see, has the same number of squares as
the room, the area of each square being reduced from one square foot
to one square inch. You will note that I have already marked the
location of all doors, windows, and furniture. The weapon, if there
be one, may be very minute, but if it be on the floor we may be
assured the microscope will find it. The walls of the room,
especially any shelving projections, and the furniture, I shall
examine with equal thoroughness, though I have now some additional
reasons for believing the weapon is not here."
"Have you discovered anything new?" Gwen exclaimed, unable to control
the excitement caused by this last remark. "You must pardon me,"
Maitland rejoined, "if I ask you and the Doctor a question before
replying." She nodded assent, and he continued: "I wish to know if
you agree with me that we shall be more likely to arrive at a
solution of the problem before us if we keep our own counsel than
if we take the officers of the law, or, for that matter, anyone
else, into our confidence. You undoubtedly noticed how carefully M.
Godin kept his own counsel. Official methods, and the hasty
generalisations which form a part thereof--to say nothing of the
petty rivalries and the passion for notoriety--can do much to hinder
our own work, and, I believe, nothing to help it. What say you?"
"That we keep our work to ourselves," Gwen quickly rejoined, and I
signified that I was of the same opinion. "Then," Maitland continued,
"I may say this in answer to your question. I have ascertained
something which may bear upon the case in hand. You will remember
that part of the gravel for redressing the croquet ground was dumped
under the east window there. The painters, I learn, finished
painting that side of the house yesterday forenoon before the gravel
was removed and placed upon the ground, so that any footprints they
may have made in it while about their work were obliterated. As you
see, there was loose gravel left under the window to the depth of
about two inches. I carefully examined this gravel this morning--
there were no footprints."
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