"
"That's half water, too; but it cannot hide every clew. You have eyes for
the imperceptible; use them, Mr. Harper, use them."
"I will; but this is a detective's work. Do not expect too much from me."
"I expect nothing. I do not dare to. Let us tread very softly, that is
all, and be careful to talk low, if we have anything to say."
By this time they had rounded the corner of the house and entered a
narrow walk, flagged with brick, which connected the space in front
with the rear offices and garden. This walk ran close to the walls which
were broken on this side by an ell projecting in the direction of the
mill-stream. It was from the roof of this ell that Anitra declared
Georgian to have slipped and fallen.
Their first care was to glance up at the roof. It was a sloping one and
Anitra's story seemed credible enough when they noted how much easier it
would be to drop upon it from the little balcony overhead than to
traverse the roof itself and reach the ground beneath without slipping.
But as they looked longer, each face betrayed doubt. The descent from the
balcony was easy enough, but how about the passage from Georgian's window
to the balcony? This latter was confined to the one window, and was
surrounded by an ornamental balustrade, high enough to offer a decided
obstacle to the adventurous person endeavoring to leap upon it from the
adjoining window-ledge.
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