"Well, Bates," said Matthews.
"There's a woman lying dead in the cellar back yonder," said the
man, jerking his thumb over his shoulder.
"The cellar?" cried Matthews.
"Yes, sir... I think you must ha' overlooked it."
Francis, Desmond and Matthews exchanged a brief glance. A name
was on the lips of each one of them but none dared speak it.
Then, leaving Harrison and Mrs. Butterworth with Nur-el-Din, the
three men followed the soldier and hurriedly quitted the room.
CHAPTER XXII. WHAT THE CELLAR REVEALED
0n opening the door at the farther end of the tap-room they saw
before them a trap-door standing wide with a shallow flight of
wooden steps leading to the darkness below. Bates pointed with
his foot to a square of linoleum which lay on one side.
"That was covering the trap," he said, "I wouldn't ha' noticed
nothing out of the ordinary myself only I slipped, see, and
kicked this bit o' ilecloth away and there was the ring of the
trap staring me in the face, as you might say. Show us a light
here, Gordon!"
Gordon handed him an electric torch. He flashed it down the
stair. It fell upon something like a heap of black clothes
huddled up at the foot of the ladder.
"Is it Miss Mackwayte?" whispered Francis to his brother.
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