It certainly was not an easy task to come to a conclusion about Miss Pearl. Ralph took her for a beautiful, amiable¹, stupid woman, narrowed by her early training into a perfect specimen² of what a wife should be--that is, a wife to an ordinary British Philistine³. But Sir Joseph was not a prim⁴, conventional man after the style of a suburban⁵ clerk, but a clever individual who knew how to use his brains. He might certainly admire Miss Pearl for her calm maternal⁶ beauty, but Shawe was satisfied that he could not possibly tolerate such a milk-and-water character. Miss Pearl was more suitable to be the wife of a Sunday-school teacher than the second Lady Branwin.  
And this consideration brought the barrister round to wonder if Miss Pearl had not been playing a very clever game with him. He had been with her for quite an hour, and all the time she had been so taken up with telling him about herself that he had not been able to cross-examine her. In a dexterous⁷ manner she had contrived⁸ to keep him at arm's length, and he left the quiet Bloomsbury house about as wise as when he entered it.
 
Considerably⁹ puzzled over the present aspect of affairs, the young man sought out Perry Toat, and described his visit to Miss Pearl. He also repeated what Audrey had overheard as passing between Badoura and Eddy¹⁰ Vail.
 
Miss Toat listened in silence, and her shrewd little eyes twinkled. "It's really a most puzzling case," she said at length. "Of course, this clue of the scent¹¹ is a very slight one to go by. Sir Joseph is fond of this especial kind of cloth, and probably asked Miss Pearl to favour him by having a dress made of the same material. But Eddy Vail might also have a suit of the cloth, and he might be the person who lurked¹² in the passage."
 
"I think he must be guilty myself," said Ralph, insistently¹³, "for if he was innocent he certainly would not have altered the clock."
 
"Quite so. Let us consider the matter. Now, my theory--"
 
"I beg your pardon, Miss Toat," interrupted Shawe, rather crossly, "but I am a trifle tired of your theories; they lead to nothing."
 
Miss Toat was not at all put out. "Oh, to theorise is the only way to get at the truth of the matter. One may have a dozen theories, and then can abandon each one in turn as it seems improbable. Let me conduct this business in my own way, Mr. Shawe."
 
"Well"--Ralph resigned himself to what seemed to him to be a futile¹⁴ discussion--"let us have your latest theory."
 
"Bearing in mind what Badoura said about the clock being wrong, and Eddy Vail being the husband of Madame Coralie, I think he is the sole person who had any reason to have a skeleton key made for the door in the wall of the court. Probably he wished to enter and leave the house at his convenience without bothering his wife."
 
"But what would be the use of his entering the court," objected Shawe, "seeing that he could not get into the house? The door was always locked."
 
"Yes, and the key was usually on a nail in the still-room," said Perry Toat, cleverly. "I found that out when I was staying at the Pink Shop for treatment. Eddy Vail could easily have taken that key when he chose, and have opened the inner door; then he got a key made for the outer door, and thus would be free of the house."
 
"But this is all imagination, Miss Toat."
 
"I am only constructing a theory on the evidence. Let us admit that things are as I say. Well, then, on the night Eddy Vail either had both keys in his pocket or only one--that of the outer door. For some reason quite unconnected with Lady Branwin's stay--since he could not have known of it--he entered the court at the time Madame Coralie was in the bedroom with her patient. Looking through the window he would see the diamonds produced, which Madame Coralie--as you declare--says that Lady Branwin gave her. Madame Coralie put Lady Branwin to bed, and the diamonds were replaced in the red bag under the pillow. Then Madame Coralie left the room, say at ten minutes to eight o'clock, whereupon Eddy Vail scrambled¹⁶ in at the window and strangled the woman. He takes the jewels out of the bag and puts them into his pocket; then, to lose no time, he leaves by the bedroom door, and runs up the stairs to the still-room, arriving there at five minutes to the hour, in order to put back the clock to half-past seven. Thirty odd minutes later Madame Coralie, who has been in the shop, comes up, and Eddy draws her attention to the time as five minutes past eight. But, as we now know, it is really close on half-past eight. Madame Coralie goes down at once to see Miss Branwin, to say that her mother will stop for the night, and this will bring the time to that mentioned by Miss Branwin as the hour she arrived at Walpole Lane on her way to the theatre. Afterwards Eddy Vail goes out by the street door, and returns to the court to drop the label and to leave the key in the lock of the court wall door, so as to encourage the idea of burglars. What do you think of that?"
 
"It's a very feasible theory," said Ralph, after a pause, "but it falls to the ground in the face of Madame Coralie's admission that Lady Branwin gave her the jewels."
 
"It only makes her an accomplice¹⁷ after the fact," said Perry Toat, cheerfully.
 
Ralph shook his head. "She would not approve of the murder of her own sister, Miss Toat," he said gently.
 
"Yes, you hinted something about the two women being sisters. I forget exactly what you said, as I have been so busy with the case of Colonel Ilse and his missing daughter. I am trying to find a photograph of the hospital nurse who stole the child, you know. Tell me exactly the relationship and all about it. I shall listen carefully."
 
Shawe related all that he knew, and the little woman nodded her head.
 
"This, of course, complicates¹⁸ matters. Still, it does not exonerate¹⁹ Madame Coralie. She is not a straight woman."
 
"What do you mean?"
 
"Never mind. Since you are to marry Miss Branwin, my advice to you is to keep her away from Madame Coralie. I know something about her."
 
"Something bad?"
 
"Very bad."
 
"What is it?" asked Shawe, with considerable curiosity.
 
"Oh, don't ask me just now," said Perry Toat, impatiently. "I shall tell you when I am more certain. Meanwhile, go and get your special licence and marry Miss Branwin. The sooner she is out of that Pink Shop the better."
 
"I agree with you," said Ralph, drily, as he stood up to take his leave; "but while I am on my honeymoon²⁰, I wish you to examine into the truth of Miss Pearl's statement that she was asleep the whole time. Also, as to the reason ............