t had been last used by Sir Ross to cut the edges of a book upon
Poisons which he had been reading. I don't much admire your taste in
literature, Sir Ross, but that is hardly to do with me. A man can choose
his own companions and his own library, thank God, although Life itself
chooses almost everything else for him. But I must confess that the
spinning wheel got me guessing, as our American cousins say. I've Mr.
Narkom to thank for that discovery. And he made it in rather a
remarkable way. Leaned against the wheel and experienced a slight shock.
After that, the thing was as easy as A. B. C. We simply traced the
wiring to the window-sill, where we discovered a switch hidden in the
ivy, turned it on, and--there you were! I nearly got potted by the
devilish contrivance myself, only some sixth sense told me to get out of
the way in time. But the aim was amazingly accurate. The second bullet
fell a matter of half an inch below the first. A perfect marvel of
ingenuity, contrived by a man who had obviously made electricity his
study for years--in spite of his confessed ignorance of it. Worked out
to a nicety. The failing lights were his idea also, and quite simple to
manage, really. The drumming dynamo made a very good imitation of the
'singing of the wheel,' in accordance with the old story. And a less
enlightened household than yours, Sir Ross, might have put all sorts of
constructions upon that--except, of course, the right one.... That, my
friends, was how the diabolical thing was done."

For a moment a silence held, fraught with mute astonishment; then
exclamations of amazement fell from every one of that little company,
and Ross Duggan was just about to speak when Lady Paula broke hurriedly
in.

"And my brother?--my poor unfortunate brother?" cried she in a wrung
voice. "He had no share in the crime, I'll swear it, Mr. Cleek. Even
your magic cannot prove that."

"Not in the crime actually, Lady Paula, but in--other things," he
replied a trifle grimly, glancing again at the flushed face of the
prisoner. "For as a blackmailer I fancy he is something of an artist.
That fact you already know--to your cost, I fancy. And I think I'm not
wrong in saying that it was he who suggested to you the stealing of the
will and----"

"I begged him not to, Mr. Cleek! I implored. I did-- I swear it. And I
never stole the will, that I can promise!" she broke in distractedly,
beating her hands together. "Antoni suggested--yes--he wished