Page:More lives than one.djvu/190

 Selden spoke raspingly, “I doubt very much if your board or company or whatever is it, has put on sufficient men or sufficiently skillful men.”

“Mother,” Barham remonstrated, “Mr. Hutchins is himself the principal detective on the case, and his record is a fine one”

“Will you hush, Andrew! I do wish I might be permitted to say half a dozen words without interruption! I know you want to do the talking yourself, but let me remind you that Madeleine was my daughter, as well as your wife. And, I may add that I am far more deeply concerned and anxious about the discovery of her murderer than you appear to be. Mr. Hutchins, have you questioned everybody that was at that infamous revel?”

“If you refer to Mr. Locke’s studio party, yes, Madam, they have all been questioned.”

“And you made no arrest?”

“No information was received from the guests that warranted any arrest.”

“Ah, you couldn’t have questioned very closely—or very intelligently. For it is impossible that my daughter should have gone there without knowing some one—somebody who was present.”

“That seemed to be the case. Wherefore, we assumed that your daughter must have been acquainted with Mr. Locke himself.”

“With Mr. Locke! My daughter know a common artist! Never! She might have gone there to see about having her portrait painted”

“Mr. Locke is not a portrait painter.”

“Perhaps some other painter was there who does do portraits of society ladies.”

“I can think of none such,” and Hutchins hastily sized