of
them. What result he had achieved I could not imagine. And yet he had
seemed satisfied. As to his theory, I could not but admit that it was
an adroit one; even a masterly one--a better one, certainly, than I
should have evolved unaided.

The cab drew up at my lodging and I sprang out, tipped the driver, and
ran up the steps to the door. My landlady met me on the threshold.

"Oh, Mr. Lester!" she cried. "Such a time as I've had this night!
Every five minutes there's been somebody here looking for you, and
there's a crowd of them up in your room now. I tried to put them out,
but they wouldn't go!"

CHAPTER VI

Godfrey's Panegyric

I was quite dazed for the moment.

"A crowd of them in my room!" I repeated. "A crowd of whom, Mrs.
Fitch?"

"A crowd of reporters! They've been worrying my life out. They seemed
to think I had you hid somewhere. I hope you're not in trouble, Mr.
Lester?"

"Not the least in the world, my dear madam," I laughed, and I breathed
a long sigh of relief, for I had feared I know not what disaster.
"I'll soon finish with the reporters," and I went on up the stair.

Long before I reached my rooms, I heard the clatter of voices and
caught the odor of various qualities of tobacco. They were lolling
about over the furniture, telling stories, I suppose, and they greeted
me with a cheer when I entered. They were such jovial fellows that it
was quite impossible to feel angry with them--and besides, I knew that
they were gentlemen, that they labored early and late at meager
salaries, for the pure love of the work; that they were quick to scent
fraud or trickery or unworthiness, and inexorable in exposing them;
that they loved to do good anonymously, remaining utterly unknown save
to the appreciative few behind the scenes. So I returned their
greeting smilingly, and sat me down in a chair which one of them
obligingly vacated for me.

"Well?" I began, looking about at them.

"My dear Mr. Lester," said the one who had given me the chair, "permit
me to introduce myself as Rankin, of the _Planet_. These gentlemen,"
and he included them in a wide gesture, "are my colleagues of the
press. We've been anxiously awaiting you here in order that we may
propound to you certain questions."

"All right; fire away," I said.

"First, we'd like to have your theory of the crime. Your work this
afternoon convinced us that you know how to put two and two together,
which is more than can be said for the