night, and went out, and I heard the car drive away."
It was plain to see that this epilogue of the departure of Miss Odell's anonymous escort completely upset Markham's theory of the case. He looked down at the floor with a baffled expression, and smoked vigorously for several moments. At last he asked:
"How long was it after this man came out of the apartment that you heard Miss Odell scream?"
"About five minutes. I had put my connection through to the taxicab company, and it was a minute or so later that she screamed."
"Was the man near the switchboard?"
"Yes, sir. In fact, he had one arm resting on it."
"How many times did Miss Odell scream? And just what did she say when she called for help?"
"She screamed twice, and then cried 'Help! Help!'"
"And when the man knocked on the door the second time, what did he say?"
"As near as I can recollect, sir, he said: 'Open the door, Margaret! What's the trouble?'"
"And can you remember her exact words when she answered him?"
Jessup hesitated, and frowned reflectively.
"As I recall, she said: 'There's nothing the matter. I'm sorry I screamed. Everything's all right, so please go home, and don't worry.' . . . Of course, that may not be exactly what she said, but it was something very close to it."
"You could hear her plainly through the door, then?"
"Oh, yes. These doors are not very thick."
