edy. I think it quite upset their calculations. Your hand is
marked with powder from the gun fire. Everyone will see that
to-morrow. The principal will know something of it from the murderer.
In fact, he probably knows now. To-morrow they will be searching for
the man with the powder mark. The murderer himself can swear that he
saw someone fire at the man who was killed. He may charge robbery.
Only when the body is found shall we know what he is going to do. If
they have taken his money, it means that you are going to be arrested,
for they intend putting it on you. Unless I am mistaken, his pockets
are inside out right now. The powder marks alone are enough to fasten
suspicion on you. Then, you were absent all day, and someone certainly
must have seen you on the bluff road. Above all, you love Ruth
Atheson, and lovers have been known to kill rivals. My detective
intuition tells me, Griffin, that you stand a good chance of being
charged with murder."

"Well," said Mark, "I have an excellent witness for the defense, in one
James Saunders, detective."

"You have," answered Saunders, "but not at the inquest; for if James
Saunders, detective, shows his hand then, he will not live to testify
at the trial, where his testimony, sprung as a surprise, might be
useful."

"You mean that they would--"

"Just so," Saunders nodded wisely; "that's just what they would do. On
the other hand, that fellow may stick to the story, whatever it is,
that they had fixed up for him. It looks reasonable to me that he
would be instructed to do that. He may come forward when the body is
found, and give himself up, saying that he was out shooting coons, or
some other animals that you can best get at night, and that one of his
bullets must have killed the man. That looks like the easiest way out
of it."

"That sounds all right, Saunders," answered Mark, "but I incline to the
other theory. I think they'll accuse me. Their first plan would have
been best if nobody had seen the deed. But since they know someone did
see it, they'll probably try to be on the safe side. Fortunately, they
don't know there were two of us, which leaves me better off."

"If they find there was another," said the detective, "you'll be safer
in jail. Lives count nothing in the games of princes, and they'll get
us both if they can."

"Then you're in danger yourself, Saunders."

"Not yet. As you remarked, they don't know there was another. You
se