Chapter I: Front Matter

This etext was transcribed by Les Bowler.

WHAT THIS STORY IS ABOUT The well-known authority on criminology, Dennis Holt, inherited a house in a remote village, the sort of place in which, to quote himself, “nothing ever happens.” One night at fifty-three minutes past eleven (he was always meticulously accurate about time), his attention was attracted by a peremptory tapping on the window pane. A moment later, the lower sash was slowly pushed up and a young girl appeared.

“Let me in!” she whispered. “Please—I have hurt myself.”

That was the beginning of a bewildering series of happenings in the life of Dennis Holt. Suddenly he found himself precipitated into the midst of a bewildering mystery, which at one time seemed to threaten even his own liberty.

Patiently piecing together the ascertained facts, Holt eventually presented a remarkable reconstruction of what had taken place on that dramatic night.

THE
CLEVEDON
: : CASE : :

BY
NANCY & JOHN
OAKLEY

* * * * *

PHILADELPHIA
J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY

* * * * *

Printed in Great Britain by Wyman & Sons Ltd., London, Reading and
Fakenham.

CONTENTS

CHAPTER PAGE
I. A MIDNIGHT VISITOR 9
II. THE TRAGEDY AT WHITE TOWERS 23
III. A MEETING IN THE DARK 34
IV. THE SILVER-HEADED HATPIN 45
V. KITTY CLEVEDON AND RONALD THOYNE 59
VI. A NEW SENSATION 70
VII. EVIDENCE AT THE INQUEST 80
VIII. THE STORY OF A QUARREL 94
IX. WHAT KITTY CLEVEDON SAID 105
X. AN INVITATION FROM LADY CLEVEDON 117
XI. A VISIT FROM RONALD THOYNE 129
XII. RONALD THOYNE DISAPPEARS 145
XIII. THE VICAR’S STORY 154
XIV. KITTY SENDS A TELEGRAM 163
XV. ON RONALD THOYNE’S YACHT 172
XVI. THE MYSTERY OF BILLY CLEVEDON 185
XVII. MORE ABOUT BILLY CLEVEDON 193
XVIII. THE ANONYMOUS LETTERS 205
XIX. THE HAIRPIN CLUE 217
XX. STILL MORE ABOUT BILLY CLEVEDON 227
XXI. WHY TULMIN BLACKMAILED CLEVEDON 239
XXII. MORE ANONYMOUS LETTERS 251
XXIII. TULMIN’S QUEER STORY 263
XXIV. THE WRATH OF RONALD THOYNE 275
XXV. THE STORY OF MARY GRAINGER 286
XXVI. NORA LEPLEY’S EXPLANATION 297
XXVII. WHO KILLED PHILIP CLEVEDON 306