ody's private affairs are liable to be turned out.
We've all got to take our medicine. No use feeling personal resentment."

Fine; but she'd have done better to keep her hands off me. An old police
detective knows too much of the class of women who use that lever. I
looked at them now, white, delicate, many-ringed, much more expressive
than her face, and I thought them capable of anything.

"Here are the names you'll want," she fumbled in the girdle of her gown,
brought out a paper and passed it over. "These are the ones who stayed
after the reception, went up to my room with me, and helped me
change--or rather, hindered me."

"The ones," I didn't open the paper yet, just looked at her across it,
"who were with you all the time from the reception till you left the
house for San Francisco?"

"It's like this," again she smiled at me, "the five whose names are on
that paper might any one of them have been in and out of my room during
the time. I can't say as to that. But _they_ can swear that _I_ wasn't
out of the room--because I wasn't dressed. As soon as I changed from my
wedding gown to my traveling suit, I went down stairs and we were all
together till we drove to San Francisco and supper at Tait's, where I
had the pleasure of meeting you, Mr. Boyne."

"I understand," I said. "They could all speak for you--but you couldn't
speak for them." Then I opened and looked. Some list! The social and
financial elect of Santa Ysobel: bankers' ladies; prune kings'
daughters; persons you couldn't doubt, or buy. But at the top of all was
Laura Bowman's name.

We had halted for the turn at the end of the court. I held the paper
before her.

"How about this one? Do you think she was in the room all the time? Or
have you any recollection?"

The bride moved a little closer and spoke low.

"Laura and the doctor were in the middle of one of their grand rows.
She's a bunch of temperament. Mamma was ill; the girls were having to
start out with only Laura for chaperone; she said something about going
somewhere, and it wouldn't take her long--she'd be back in plenty of
time. But whether she went or not--Mr. Boyne, you don't want us to tell
you our speculations and guesses? That wouldn't be fair, would it?"

"It wouldn't hurt anything," I countered. "I'll only make use of what
can be proven. Anything you say is safe with me."

"Well, then, of course you know all about the situation between Laura
and Jim Edwards. Laura was determin