"Simple enough," Gatton replied. "Whereas here the telephone was
installed, so that the bell could be rung by some one merely calling
up your number--and the ringing stopped by the caller telling the
exchange he had made a mistake--in the Red House, as I have
discovered, the 'phone had been disconnected shortly after Dr.
Brown-Edwards left the place."
"Then the opening and closing of the doors was merely a device for
ringing the bell?"
"Yes. The opening of the first door set it ringing and the opening of
the second probably stopped it. Mr. Addison," he stood up, resting his
hands upon the table and regarding me fixedly--"we enter upon the
final battle of wits: New Scotland Yard _versus_ Dr. Damar Greefe and
the green-eyed lady of Bast. Regarding the latter--there is a very
significant point."
"What is that?"
"The 'voice' on this last occasion was that, not of a woman, but of a
man."
CHAPTER XXIII
THE INEVITABLE
"I very much regret having to trouble you, Miss Merlin, at such a
time," said Inspector Gatton, "but as the paper lodged with you by the
late Sir Eric Coverly may throw some light upon a very dark matter,
perhaps you will read it to us."
I watched the play of expression upon Isobel's face with a depth of
sympathy which I cannot attempt to describe. The successive trials
which had been imposed upon her in so short a time had robbed her
cheeks of their sweet color and there were dark shadows under her
eyes.
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