"No; that is, not directly. I can't tell you anything more; but since we are friends, can you arrange that there are no matches put beside the bedroom candles?"
"The man is our guest," Elsie said with some hesitation. "Still perhaps one mustn't be fastidious when--"
"When there's a good deal at stake--Dick's welfare, for one thing."
An hour later the party broke up. They used oil-lamps at Appleyard, and at night a row of candles in old-fashioned brass holders were placed upon a table on the bedroom landing. As a rule, a few matchboxes were put beside them; but sometimes this was overlooked.
Williamson went upstairs first, and stopped on reaching the table.
"Matches run out here, too!" he said to Whitney, who was close behind him. "Shall I light your candle?"
Whitney's hand moved toward his pocket, but he remembered in time.
"Thanks!" he answered carelessly. "Perhaps you had better light the lot."
Williamson took out the gun-metal box and struck a small pine match.
"I filled it up again," he remarked. "I always like to have matches handy in an old-fashioned house."
"It's a good plan," Whitney agreed, and went away with his candle.
Five minutes later he opened Andrew's door and found him standing by the window.
"Come in! I'm thinking about that Canadian boat."
"So I expected," Whitney answered meaningly. "But we'll take the other matter first. Seems to me they're connected."
"The matchbox matter? I don't know whether it was a clever trick or not, but I'd like to hear your views."
"Well," Whitney laughed, "I'm not so smart as I thought. Elsie soon tripped me up."
"Something. I don't know how much, but I'm free to admit that she's cleverer than either of us. However, one thing's obvious: Williamson took care to have a box that would hold a good many matches and keep them dry. It's curious that he didn't shake it before he said it was empty. Anyhow, he overdid the thing. If he had given me a thick wax match like those we found on board the wreck, it wouldn't have proved much; while his anxiety to show he used the small pine kind strikes me as significant."
"Elsie must be kept out of all this," Andrew said firmly.
"Then I guess you'll have to keep her out; I'm not up to Miss Woodhouse's mark. Did you notice Staffer's attempt to learn if you knew much about the North Channel?"