tually_--your own intuition. My friend here does not always bank
on that. I do. A woman's intuition is often a great deal safer than a
whole chain of circumstantial evidence. That is where Mr. Narkom and I
differ--eh, old friend? At any rate, as there is another case besides
yours up in Argyllshire awaiting my investigation, I'll tell you what
I'll do. I'll come up to Scotland to-morrow--to-night, in fact, by the
midnight train--and look into both cases at once. And if I can find
anything requiring my assistance I'll gladly give it. How will that do?"

Mr. Narkom stifled an exclamation of surprise. Here was an interest
which he had never dreamed of awakening. Cleek (for such was the
admirable gentleman in his admirably cut clothes) rarely, if ever,
showed such immediate interest unless there was more in the thing than
met the eye in the first place. And although this Miss Duggan was
obviously in earnest, he himself would be inclined to put the thing down
to a woman's natural jealousy for her rightful possessions, and a
natural love for the man who was beloved to her by all the ties of flesh
and blood and for whom she would fight, if necessary, to the bitter end.
He had seen this sort of thing before--and paid very little attention to
it. The poison story was weak--undeniably weak--though no doubt Miss
Duggan firmly believed in it. A thousand things might have been
contained in the phial other than the poison to which her jealous mind
had instantly leapt. Powdered aspirin, perhaps, or whatnot. And for
Cleek to take such an immediate interest--_Cleek_!

He sucked in his breath noiselessly.

"Gad!" thought he, "there _is_ more in this than meets the eye; of that
I'm sure, or he'd never take such an interest in it. Of course, there's
those illicit stills in the same county, but ... well, anyhow, I was
right in sending for him, by James! It was worth taking a chance over."

Then he turned his eyes to where Miss Duggan had leaned forward
suddenly, her wet eyes alight with gratitude and face instantly
transfigured.

"Oh, will you?--will you? How good of you, how very, very good!" she
ejaculated with a little half-sigh of utter relief. "That is all I ask,
Mr. Deland. Someone will come and _see_--see for themselves how things
stand at Aygon Castle. I tell you my intuition is very rarely wrong, and
if harm does not come to my poor father before this week is out, then I
have made the first mistake in all my life. But I'm not m