e any good," muttered the other. "I did not
compete for the prize."

"I know you did not, but your dislike of Sheldon might induce you
to endeavor to injure his reputation. Don't you think you went
very clumsily to work about it?"

"You are assuming that I did this thing," growled Herring. "What
proof have you that I did? Suppose I should deny it?"

"Do you?" asked the doctor pointedly.

"There haven't been any direct charges brought against me as yet,
only hints and innuendoes," growled the other. "Sheldon has not
accused me of anything, and he is the one most interested. What
is it to me if a woman up the state stole his poem? I didn't."

"No, you did not, but who inserted the lines claimed by another
person in the manuscript submitted? Were you in the cottage the
other night? Some one was, for my servant heard some one prowling
about, and a little later there was some sort of fracas outside.
How did Manners receive his black eye? Can you tell me that?"

"He got to wandering in his sleep and fell over a tent rope, I
understand. That might give him a black eye."

"Didn't he seize you by the leg and shout that he had got you, and
that you must give an account of yourself?" the doctor asked. "My
servant heard some one say this."

"I was in my tent all night when Manners got his black eye," said
Herring, who did not fancy having this evidence brought suddenly
before him.

"With a light burning?" asked the doctor. "One of the guards saw a
light at occasions shining from your tent. What were you doing
with it?"

"Could it not have been Merritt?" asked Herring. "I do not occupy
the tent alone."

"You were writing in those lines, were you not? Did you observe
that the first page had more on it than the others? I suppose
it would have taken too long to copy the entire poem, insertion
and all?"

"I don't know anything about it," snarled Herring. "What evidence
have you that I did these things that you charge me with doing?"

"I have not charged you with them, Herring. I am merely asking you
a few questions. I have circumstantial evidence, however, that you
did these things."

"Circumstantial evidence has hanged innocent men before now," said
the bully. "Haven't you any corroborative evidence?"

He was beginning to grow defiant now, feeling that the doctor had no
real evidence against him.

"Don't you think that a trip to some more lively spot for the rest of
the summer would be advisa