We stood quite still for a moment.

A faint breeze whispered through the beech leaves.

“Where is he?”

I cannot remember who put it into words; I was too dazed with amazement to notice.  Then Eltham began shouting: 

“Vernon!  Vernon!  Vernon!”

His voice pitched higher upon each repetition.  There was something horrible about that vain calling, under the whispering beech, with shrubs banked about us cloaking God alone could know what.

From the back of the house came Caesar’s faint reply.

“Quick!  Lights!” rapped Smith.  “Every lamp you have!”

Off we went, dodging laurels and privets, and poured out on to the lawn, a disordered company.  Eltham’s face was deathly pale, and his jaw set hard.  He met my eye.

“God forgive me!” he said.  “I could do murder to-night!”

He was a man composed of strange perplexities.

It seemed an age before the lights were found.  But at last we returned to the bushes, really after a very brief delay; and ten minutes sufficed us to explore the entire shrubbery, for it was not extensive.  We found his revolver, but there was no one there—­nothing.

When we all stood again on the lawn, I thought that I had never seen Smith so haggard.

“What in Heaven’s name can we do?” he muttered.  “What does it mean?”

He expected no answer; for there was none to offer one.

“Search!  Everywhere,” said Eltham hoarsely.

He ran off into the rose garden, and began beating about among the flowers like a madman, muttering:  “Vernon!  Vernon!” For close upon an hour we all searched.  We searched every square yard, I think, within the wire fencing, and found no trace.  Miss Eltham slipped out in the confusion, and joined with the rest of us in that frantic hunt.  Some of the servants assisted too.

It was a group terrified and awestricken which came together again on the terrace.  One and then another would give up, until only Eltham and Smith were missing.  Then they came back together from examining the steps to the lower gate.

Eltham dropped on to a rustic seat, and sank his head in his hands.

Nayland Smith paced up and down like a newly caged animal, snapping his teeth together and tugging at his ear.

Possessed by some sudden idea, or pressed to action by his tumultuous thoughts, he snatched up a lantern and strode silently off across the grass and to the shrubbery once more.  I followed him.  I think his idea was that he might surprise anyone who lurked there.  He surprised himself, and all of us.

For right at the margin he tripped and fell flat. 
I ran to him.

He had fallen over the body of Denby, which lay there!

Denby had not been there a few moments before, and how he came to be there now we dared not conjecture.  Mr. Eltham joined us, uttered one short, dry sob, and dropped upon his knees.  Then we were carrying Denby back to the house, with the mastiff howling a marche funebre.