“So was Mr. Lockersley,” said Macdonald, “and so far as can be judged, his absence from the house was caused by the accident of the mist arising, a circumstance which he could not have foreseen.”
Keston mopped his forehead. “Inevitably, I have considered the possibilities of Lockersley’s absence,” he said slowly. “Lockersley knew—in common with the rest of the household—that the professor was returning here on Wednesday night. Assuming that Lockersley be involved, there is a lot to consider. He said that he went to sleep up by Maldon Tor, and when he awoke the mist was thick around him, a statement impossible to prove or to disprove. One thing seems clear to me: if Lockersley were indeed involved, he certainly would not have gone to sleep. If he were not asleep, he would have seen the mis
