s to catch the real murderer."

"That's exactly what we're going to try to do," I assented.

"And meanwhile Mr. Swain will be in jail?" asked the doctor.

"I'm afraid there's no help for it," I admitted ruefully.

"I was just telling Mr. Lester that I didn't mind that," said Swain
earnestly, "that I could stand anything, if I was only sure that Miss
Vaughan was safe. She isn't safe in that house. Mr. Lester has
arranged to place her with the family of his partner, Mr. Royce,
where she will be properly taken care of. Is there any reason why she
can't be taken there to-day?"

The doctor considered for a moment.

"Ordinarily," he said, at last, "I would advise that she be left where
she is for a few days; but, under the circumstances, perhaps she would
better be moved. You can get an easy-riding carriage--or a car will
do, if you drive carefully. The nurses, will, of course, go along. The
only thing is, she will probably wish to attend her father's funeral,
which takes place to-morrow."

Swain bit his lips nervously.

"I have a horror of her staying in that house another night," he said;
"but I hadn't thought of the funeral. There is one nurse on duty all
the time, isn't there, doctor?"

"Yes."

"All right, then; we'll risk one night more. But you promise me that
she shall be taken away immediately after the funeral?"

"Yes," I said, "I promise."

"And I," said the doctor. Then he looked at his watch. "It's time we
were getting back," he added.

He took us over in his car, and we found the jury, under the guidance
of Simmonds, just coming out of the house, each member smoking a fat
black cigar at the expense of the State. They had been viewing the
body and the scene of the crime, but as they filed back into their
seats, I noted that they seemed anything but depressed. The lunch had
evidently been a good one.

Sylvester was recalled to finish his testimony. He explained the
system of curves and angles by which finger-prints are grouped and
classified, and the various points of resemblance by which two prints
could be proved to have been made by the same finger. There was, first
of all, the general convolution, whether a flexure, a stria, a sinus,
a spiral, a circle, or a whorl; there was, secondly, the number of
ridges in the convolution; and there was, thirdly, the angles which
these ridges made. If two prints agreed in all these details, their
identity was certain. He then proceeded to show that the prin