he did see."

"No," Turkey admitted.

"So that even if we found the old machine in Braden's possession, it
would prove nothing," the judge went on. "Nor can you positively
identify the documents you saw Braden abstract from French's safe?"

"No."

The judge rumpled his mane and reflected.

"The writing is slightly fainter in the deeds which we are trying to
prove are the more recent. That might go to show either that they were
written long ago, or recently with a dry or worn ribbon such as might
well be in an old, discarded machine. But there is not enough difference
to get us anywhere on that line. We can't depend on the testimony of
Braden's stenographer, for it is too long ago. She would probably
identify both as having been written on or about the dates which they
bear, merely by the peculiarities of type of the machine she used then.
Her evidence would probably be against us."

"But take the whole thing," Angus urged. "Take French's attempt to buy
my wife out."

"Unfortunately, you have no evidence to connect Braden with that. He
would deny all connection under oath, as he did to you. When you set out
to prove a case out of the mouth of a hostile witness, you are embarking
on a very doubtful enterprise. The fact is, Braden himself is the only
witness, and there is nothing so far to contradict the evidence he will
undoubtedly give if called."

"But how can he account for the existence of two sets of deeds?"

"I don't know," the judge replied, "but he will account for them. Don't
underestimate him. He's a cunning fox. Suppose I put myself in his
place. Assume that the documents delivered to your wife by French are
forgeries. The originals I should have destroyed, but did not. They are
stolen from my safe. I do not know who has them. I may suspect Garland,
because of the disappearance of the other paper, but I am not sure. In
any event I must provide against the possibility that they may be used
against me. Now what story will hold water? What would be plausible?"

He drummed his spatulate fingers on his desk, his eyes half closed.

"My effort," he resumed after a moment's silence, "has been to duplicate
the originals in every detail, to make it appear that the second were
prepared some seven years ago. Then my explanation must be one which
will naturally account for the preparation of two sets of deeds on or
about the same date. And that can only be because there was some mistake
in the first which rend