of the
other."

With a wave of his hand, Mr. Roberts dismissed this, and the District
Attorney proceeded.

"'Which of the men and women known to be in the museum when this arrow
was delivered has enough knowledge of archery to string a bow? A mark can
be reached by chance, but only an accustomed hand can string a bow as
unyielding as this one.'

"I will pause there, Mr. Roberts. You may judge by our presence here to
whose hand and to whose skill we have felt forced to ascribe this wanton
shooting of a young and lovely girl. We wish to be undeceived, and stand
ready to listen to anything you may have to say in contradiction of these
conclusions. That is, if you wish to speak. You know that you will be
well within your rights to remain silent. Likewise that if you decide to
speak, it will be our painful duty to make record of your words for any
use our duty may hereafter suggest."

"I will speak." The words came with difficulty,--but they came. "Ask what
you will. Satisfy my curiosity, as well as your own."

"First then, the bow. It was brought up from the cellar a fortnight or
more before it was used, and placed on end in the Curator's office, where
it was seen more than once by the woman who wipes up the floors. The
person who did this cast a shadow on the cellar wall,--that shadow was
seen. Need I say more? A man's shadow is himself--sometimes."

"I brought up the bow; but I do not see how that implicates me in the
use which was afterward made of it. My reasons for bringing it up were
innocent enough----"

He stopped--not even knowing that he stopped. His eyes had been drawn to
a small article which the District Attorney had dropped from his hand
onto the table. It looked like an end of black tape; but whether it was
this or something quite different, it held the gaze of the man who was
speaking, so completely that he forgot to go on.

The hush which followed paled the cheeks of more than one man there.
To release the tension, the District Attorney resumed his argument,
observing quietly, and as if no interruption had occurred:

"As to the arrow and its means of secret transfer from one side of the
building to the other in the face of a large crowd, let me direct your
attention to this little strip of folded silk. You have seen it before.
Surely, I am quite justified in asking whether indeed you have not
handled it both before and after the lamentable occurrence we are
discussing?"

"I see it for the first