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us a little problem to solve. Why did he detach them? It may be a minor problem, but these little things often act as pointers to larger issues.”
    â€œWell, I can tell you that a bunch of keys is a nuisance on a long walk. If Lord Bygrave thought so too, your little problem is at once solved,” replied the inspector, sipping his coffee.
    â€œBut, as he was going to return for lunch at noon, it would seem that he had no intention of taking a walk of inordinate length—not long enough to render keys anything in the nature of cumbersome impedimenta.”
    â€œI don’t see much in it looking at it from any point of view,” replied the inspector with a wave of his short, firm fist. The important task ahead is to ascertain if anyone saw Lord Bygrave after he left this inn on Saturday morning, and where.”
    â€œIt’s more important,” replied Vereker, with eyes assuming a look of almost childish simplicity, “to ascertain if there’s anyone who knows where he is now.”
    Inspector Heather glanced up at Vereker to discover whether that individual was serious, but his face gave no indication of the nature of the thoughts within.
    â€œNow I’m going to consolidate my conclusions as far as I have gone, inspector,” said Vereker, refilling his pipe.
    â€œWe know Lord Bygrave left town on Friday night and arrived at Hartwood 9.15. As far as we are aware, no message awaited him here, so that the subsequent events that led to his disappearance must, unless they were purely accidental, have been food for his anticipation on his arrival. That is, he must have had some appointment which he intended to keep on the following day. This, I think, we can almost take for granted. From the fact that he smoked a pipe in his room before he went to bed to soothe himself it is clear that he was worried about the matter, for it is a thing I’ve never known Lord Bygrave do, and I have known him very intimately for fifteen years. He was evidently more worried next morning, for, according to Mary Standish, he did not shave and left the inn to keep that appointment unshaven. I can imagine the degree of his perturbation from this rather startling information alone. He breakfasts, intimates that he will return for lunch at midday and incontinently vanishes. Now assume that Lord Bygrave went to keep an appointment, and an unpleasant appointment at that—why should he not return? It was his expressed intention. He must have been forcibly deterred, or events occurred which made his return either highly undesirable or altogether impossible. Now of these alternatives I’m inclined to assume that something happened which rendered his return impossible.”
    The inspector glanced up quickly.
    â€œYou infer that he has been killed?” he asked gravely.
    â€œIf my knowledge of Lord Bygrave’s manner of life is correct—that is, presuming he is not another Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde—I’m inclined to put a very grave construction on events. A well-known Minister of blameless repute doesn’t vanish for the purpose of setting the country by the ears. An actress or an author seeking advertisement might be tempted to do so, but a responsible Minister—never.”
    â€œWhat about political enemies? Have you thought about that side of the question yet, Mr. Vereker?”
    â€œWell, no; not more than admitting the possibility of an unwarranted attack on Bygrave by a political lunatic. You see, his position is not one to bring him into conflict with the people. You might as well try and work up a bloodthirsty hostility against the head of the Board of Fisheries as hate Lord Bygrave politically.”
    â€œH’m,” replied the inspector, “you put your view plausibly. But my experience of public life to-day prevents my sweeping aside the idea of a political enemy as lightly as you do. In fact, after removing the beneficiaries under his will from the number