ng far back in Bristow's brain stirred
uneasily, as if, miles away, somebody had sounded an alarm. Should he
trust this man? Would Braceway try to pick up a false scent, try to throw
the whole thing out of gear?

Although he, Bristow, had expressed to Greenleaf only last night his
confidence in Withers' innocence, would it be wise to hold to such a
belief? The future was too uncertain, too apt to produce entirely
unexpected things. At any rate, it would be silly to call himself
anything of a criminologist; and yet go ahead with a blind, spoken
conviction of the innocence of a man who unquestionably had acted in a
way to bring suspicion upon himself.

He would wait and see. He purposed to throw away no card that might later
take a trick.

"Very good," he said. "That suits me if you're satisfied. You can answer
for him, I don't doubt."

"Thoroughly so. In the first place, he and I are close personal friends;
went to college together; were fraternity mates; had an office together
until I quit practising law and went in for this sort of work. Then, too,
I've turned him inside out this morning. He doesn't know a thing.

"And, I might as well tell you now, he didn't hang around Manniston Road
night before last after his wife got in. As soon as he saw this Douglas
Campbell go home he returned to the Brevord and went to bed.

"No, sirree! Here's what I work on: either Morley killed her, or the
negro killed her, or it was done by the mysterious fellow with the gold
tooth. How does that strike you?"

"Correctly; I'm with you," agreed Bristow, still with the mental
reservation that he would deal with Withers as he saw fit.

"One thing more," added Braceway, and Bristow was surprised to see that
he looked a trifle embarrassed; "I want you to handle all the talk that
has to be had with Miss Maria Fulton. I'll be frank with you; I have to
be. It's this way: I was once in love with her; in fact, engaged to marry
her. Do you see?"

"Fully."

He was glad to know at the outset that Braceway was a friend of the
family. It might be valuable later.

Braceway threw away his cigarette and sighed with relief.

"I'm glad you understand," he said. "Now, about Withers: things have
begun to happen to him already--this morning. Since this has hit him, he
doesn't know where he'll get off eventually. I'll tell you."

CHAPTER XI

THE $1,000 CHECK.

A few minutes after eight o'clock that morning Mr. Illington, president
of t