Salveter with thestealthy steps outside of his door
at midnight would be a graveerror.
Then I wentover a few old notes and entries
relating to last wintersexcavations.
And if we bide our timewell secure that
evidence.
Theresreally nothing more we can do
here.
Doctor Bliss himself, Vance explained, came
down-stairs andtelephoned to me.
You didntgive me much of an earful over the
phone.
Thought you were through with theBliss ménage for
to-day.
Markham was becoming annoyed at Vances vagueness.
The picture presented to us to-night, d ye see, wasnt finished.
If you thinkyou know who killed Kyle, why not come
out with it?
Hanis pronouncement was almost
sepulchral.
Im afraid of this place, came the plaintive answer.
I suppose, he said, with a tinge of sarcasm, you can tell usexactly where we can
find the sheath. Vance appeared satisfied and waved his hand toward the door. Who
would haveturned the hall light off at that hour?
May I be permitted to ask when you first saw this
royal dagger? These lower-class Copts are,for all their superficial Christian
veneer, highly superstitious. The Egyptian lifted his head slightly in
mildinterest.
The fact is, Hani,were deuced interested in the
sheath. Despite thedroning quality of Hanis voice, there was a significant note in
it. Thought you were through with theBliss ménage for to-day.
And you heard nothing to-night after retiring?
Anyway we may get a definite key to theplot through the doctors suggestion about the
sheath.
Im sure a Malay could have done much better with
hiskris.
I sent him to thestudy after dinner to-night to get
me a memorandum book.
A tremor ran over his body, and his eyes glowed
unnaturally. Theresreally nothing more we can do here. Whoever threw that dagger was
careful to avoid anysuch incriminatin tokens. After discovering the dagger, I opine,
you telephoned to me. Heath acknowledged the somewhat enigmatical pleasantry with a
grunt.