"I only wondered," replied Peter placidly. He slipped a paper-knife under the top sheet of the blotting-pad and held it up to the light. "Quite right, old man. Give you full marks for observation. Here's Jerry's signature, and the Colonel's, and a big, sprawly hand, which I should judge to be feminine." He looked at the sheet again, shook his head, folded it up, and placed it in his pocket-book. "Doesn't seem to be anything there," he commented, "but you never know. 'Five something of fine something'--grouse, probably! 'oe--is fou'--is found, I suppose. Well, it can't do any harm to keep it." He spread out his paper and began:
"DEAR JERRY,--Here I am, the family sleuth on the trail,
and it's damned exciting----"
The Colonel snored.
Sunday afternoon. Parker had gone with the car to King
