ollowed. Now we know. Have you anything
to say against this conclusion? Any other explanation to give which will
account for every fact as this does?"

His answer came in a dubious gesture from the District Attorney and a
half-hearted "No" from his Assistant. They were both either too awed by
the circumstance or too fearful of mistake, to accept without a struggle
an accusation of this grave and momentous character against one of Mr.
Roberts' stamp and consequence.

This was no more than Mr. Gryce had expected, and while he realized that
his reputation as a detective of extraordinary insight in cases of an
unusually baffling nature trembled in the balance, he experienced a
sudden distaste of his work which almost drove him into renouncing the
whole affair. But the habits of a lifetime are not parted with so
easily; and when the Chief Inspector observed--evidently with the idea of
goading him on--"This seems to be mainly a matter of conjecture, Gryce,"
his old self reasserted itself, and he answered boldly:

"I acknowledge that; but conjecture is what in nine cases out of ten
smoothes out many of our difficulties. I have here a short statement made
by myself, after the most careful inquiries, of all that Mrs. Taylor and
the untrapped director did and said in the few difficult moments when
they met face to face over the body of his unfortunate victim. I will ask
you to listen to a portion of it.

"'She had not moved. After her one cry of horror which had brought a rush
of witnesses upon the scene, she remained fixed on her knees in the
absorbed introspection common to those brought suddenly face to face with
a life and death crisis. He, finding that his own safety demanded action
suitable to his position as a director, had entered with the crowd and
now stood in her presence, in face of his own diabolical work, in an
attitude of cold courage such as certain strong natures are able to
assume under the pressure of great emergencies.

"'So long as she was deaf to all appeal to rouse and explain the
situation, he stood back, watchful and silent; but when she finally
roused and showed a disposition to speak, his desperation drove him
into questioning her in order to see how much she understood of an attack
which had killed a harmless stranger and let herself go free.

"'He asked her first if she could tell them from which direction came the
arrow which ended this young girl's life.

"'She made no reply in words; but gla