“Young Jarnock made a half apologetic excuse for his father; remarking that Sir Alfred Jarnock was perhaps inclined to be a little over careful; but that, considering what had happened, we must agree that the need for his carefulness had been justified.  He added, also, that even before the horrible attack on the butler his father had been just as particular, always keeping the key and never allowing the door to be unlocked except when the place was in use for Divine Service, and for an hour each forenoon when the cleaners were in.

“To all this I nodded understandingly; but when, presently, the young man left me I took my duplicate key and made for the door of the Chapel.  I went in and locked it behind me, after which I carried out some intensely interesting and rather weird experiments.  These proved successful to such an extent that I came out of the place in a perfect fever of excitement.  I inquired for Mr. George Jarnock and was told that he was in the morning room.

“‘Come along,’ I said, when I had found him.  ’Please give me a lift.  I’ve something exceedingly strange to show you.’

“He was palpably very much puzzled, but came quickly.  As we strode along he asked me a score of questions, to all of which I just shook my head, asking him to wait a little.

“I led the way to the Armory.  Here I suggested that he should take one side of a dummy, dressed in half plate armor, whilst I took the other.  He nodded, though obviously vastly bewildered, and together we carried the thing to the Chapel door.  When he saw me take out my key and open the way for us he appeared even more astonished, but held himself in, evidently waiting for me to explain.  We entered the Chapel and I locked the door behind us, after which we carted the armored dummy up the aisle to the gate of the chancel rail where we put it down upon its round, wooden stand.

“‘Stand back!’ I shouted suddenly as young Jarnock made a movement to open the gate.  ‘My God, man! you mustn’t do that!’

“Do what?” he asked, half-startled and half-irritated by my words and manner.

“One minute,” I said.  “Just stand to the side a moment, and watch.”

He stepped to the left whilst I took the dummy in my arms and turned it to face the altar, so that it stood close to the gate.  Then, standing well away on the right side, I pressed the back of the thing so that it leant forward a little upon the gate, which flew open.  In the same instant, the dummy was struck a tremendous blow that hurled it into the aisle, the armor rattling and clanging upon the polished marble floor.

“Good God!” shouted young Jarnock, and ran back from the chancel rail, his face very white.

“Come and look at the thing,” I said, and led the way to where the dummy lay, its armored upper limbs all splayed adrift in queer contortions.  I stooped over it and pointed.  There, driven right through the thick steel breastplate, was the ‘waeful dagger.’