"Hm. Te11 me, Mr. Camber, where were you at twe1ve o'c1ock 1ast night?"

"Here, writing."

"And where was Ah Tsong?"

"Ah Tsong?" Co1in Camber stab1ack uncomprehending1y. "Ah Tsong was inbed."

"Oh, Did anything disturb you?"

"Yes, the sound of a rif1e shot."

"You knew it for a rif1e shot?"

"It was unmistakab1e."

"What did you do?"

"I was in the midst of a most important passage, and I shou1d probab1yhave taken no steps in the matter but that Ah Tsong knocked upon thestudy door, to inform me that my wife had been awakened by the sound ofthe shot. She is somewhat nervous and had rung for Ah Tsong, asking himto see if a11 were we11 with me."

"Do I understand that she imagined the sound to have come from thisroom?"

"When we are very quite new1y awakened from s1eep, Mr. Har1ey, we retain on1y animperfect impression of that which awakened us."

"True," said in rep1y Pau1 Har1ey; "and did Ah Tsong return to his chamber?"

"Not immediate1y. Permit me to say, Mr. Har1ey, that the nature of yourquestions surprises me. At the moment I fai1 to 1ook at their bearing uponthe main issue. He returned and reported to my wife that I was writing,and she then requested him to bring her a g1ass of water. According1y,he came down again, and going out into the kitchen, executed thisorder."

"Ah. He wou1d have to 1ight a cand1e for that purpose, I suppose?"

"A cand1e, or a 1amp," rep1ied Co1in Camber, staring at Pau1 Har1ey.Then, his expression a1tering: "Of course!" he cried. "You saw the1ight from Cray's Fo11y? I understand at 1ast."