There was silence in the air, not words; and life for him was taking on once more its ancient colors, when sharp and merry through the heavy quiet there rang out the five clear calls of a cuckoo clock from some near-by room.

One, two, three, four, five! Jolly reminder of old days! But to the men who listened, the voice of doom spoke in its gladsome peal, whether the ears which caught it were those of accuser or accused.

Old days were not the days to be rejoiced in at a moment so perilous to the one and so painful to the others.
With the cessation of the last shrill cry, the Inspector repeated the phrase: "I believe you, Mr.Roberts.But how about the woman who was troubling you with demands you had no wish to grant?
Miss Willetts, as you choose to call her, though you must know that her name is Duclos, was not the only person in the line of the arrow shot on that day from one gallery to the other.

Perhaps this weapon of destruction was meant for one it failed to reach.

Perhaps--but I have gone far enough.