."

"Well, you soldiers don't generally keep one glove without the other.
Where was this before you put it with the things?"

"I picked it off the floor near the head of the bed."

"And there wasn't another thereabouts?"

"I saw none."

The detective went back to his work, and the officers with Mr. Green to
the letters. When they had read them through to the end, Blake arose.

"You will admit, Mr. Warner, that I have excellent reason for asking and
expecting permission to rejoin my incarcerated friend now," said he,
with sarcastic emphasis. "If _that_ doesn't knock the court-martial
charges cold as a wedge, what will?"

"I never fully believed Mr. Ray guilty of those charges, Blake, and you
know it. I must see the colonel, of course, and show him these letters."

"Pardon me, Mr. Warner," said the lawyer. "Tell him of them if you see
fit, but as Mr. Ray's legal adviser I do not propose to let such
important evidence for the defence fall into the hands of the
prosecution." (Warner flushed hotly.) "I do not refer to you, my dear
sir, but to your commanding officer, who is understood to have worked up
the case against my client, and will naturally feel chagrined to find
what liars his witnesses were. Human nature, sir; human nature."

"No, Warner, I don't mean you either,--in that case, that is," said
Blake, all excitement over the late discoveries; "but these are _ours_,
and by gad! we mean to hold them. Whoop! _Fiat justitia_, rue it,
Whaling's! Go and tell your distinguished chief that I will be pleased
to know whether he has considered my application yet. Here! Hold on,
Warner. D--n it all, man! I'm unpardonable for mixing you and him up in
the matter. Forgive me, but I'm all unstrung these last few days. If you
fellows only knew Ray as we do there wouldn't have been this trouble."

And they shook hands, and Warner went off to see his chief, and had a
quick conversation with him that brought the blood to the usually
colorless face of the well-preserved veteran. The colonel arose hastily
and said he would go with them. _He_ wanted to see those letters, and he
did, and looked strangely perturbed as they were read to him, and then
Blake again preferred his request for permission to visit town and to
remain all night. The colonel hemmed and hawed. These papers, of course,
had an important bearing on the case as it originally stood before the
court-martial as ordered, but matters had changed materially. "Mr. Ray
i