It somehow seemed to impel me to endeavor to penetrate the mystery, and yet Hylton Chater had declared that she was dead! I recollected the remarkable letter from Abo, and her own declaration that her end was near.

That letter was, she said, the last she should write to her friend.

Did Hylton Chater actually possess knowledge of the girl's death?
Had he all along been acquainted with her whereabouts?
What the young woman told me upset all my plans.

If Elma Heath were really dead, then she was beyond discovery, and the truth would be hidden forever.
"After he had put the photograph in his pocket, the gentleman made a most minute search in this room," the domestic went on.

"He consulted his plan, took several measurements, and then tapped on the paneling all along this wall, as though he were searching for some hidden cupboard or hiding place.