Hubbard made his money in blackmail, most detestable blackmail at that. A loathsome creature, there were no special regrets when he was found dead at his desk in his own home. Yet Colonel Sanderstead felt it his duty to probe the affair, since his nephew's best friend had very good reason to wish Hubbard dead and might easily enough be involved. A ghost appears in the village, motor car tracks confuse the issue, and altogether the evidence is so varied and contrary that it is not surprising the Colonel makes a few mistakes. His investigation, as it turns out, would never have solved the case,...

At Ravensthorpe-a lonely country house inherited by Maurice Chacewater-a masked ball is in progress amid scenes of great gaiety, celebrating the honor of his sister's coming of age. What each guest was to wear had been kept a secret and all who enter Ravensthorpe that night wear masks. Cecil, who is on bad terms with his brother Maurice, arranges a practical joke with several young friends to plunge Ravensthorpe into darkness and to carry out a mock burglary at a given moment; but the plan is overheard. The ensuing situation is doubly complicated. In the drama that follows, the theft of rare...