uth--nothin' but de truth, boss. Gawd
knows----"

Braceway took from his pocket a crisp, new one-dollar bill and smoothed
it out on his knee.

"Now, listen to me, Roddy," he said, this time unsmiling. "Mr. Keene has
just told me he wouldn't fire you, even if you did go to sleep Monday
night. There's nothing for you to be afraid of; and this dollar note is
yours as soon as you tell me the truth, the real truth, about what you
saw and what you missed seeing Monday night. If you don't tell me, I'll
have you arrested."

Roddy's eyes, which had shone with a rather greasy glitter at the sight
of the money, rolled rapidly and whitely in their sockets at the mention
of arrest.

"'Deed, boss, you ain' gwine to have no cause to 'res' me, no cause
whatsomever. You knows how 'tis, boss. Us coloured folks, we got a gif,
jes' a natchel gif', foh nappin' an' sleepin'. Boss, dar ain' no nigger
in dis town whut would have kep' wide awake--_wide_--all dat Monday night
nor any yuther night."

"Very well. Think now. Try to remember. Were you asleep at all before
midnight?"

"Naw, suh, boss. Naw, suh!"

"Not at all?"

Roddy began to wilt again.

"Well, it might uv been dis way, boss, possibilly. 'Long 'bout 'leven I
kinder remembuhs jes' a sort uv nap, mo' like a slip, boss." He coughed
and spoke desperately: "You see, boss, when it gits a little quiet at
night, seems to me, why, right den, ev'y nigger I knows is got a hinge in
his neck. 'Pears like he jes' gotter let his haid drap furward. Dar ain'
no use talkin', boss, dat hinge wuks ovuhtime. I 'spec' mine done it,
too, jes' like you say, 'long 'bout 'leven. Yas, suh, I reckon dat's
right."

"How about the time between midnight and two in the morning? Was the
hinge working then?"

"Aw, boss," replied Roddy with something like reproach, "you knows 'tain'
no queshun uv a hinge arftuh midnight. Arftuh midnight, boss, de screws
drap right outen' de hinge, an' dar ain' no mo' hinge. You jes' natchelly
keeps your haid down an' don' lif' it no mo'. Naw, suh, dar ain' no hinge
to he'p you dat late, _on_less--_on_less somebody hit you or stab you."

Braceway became stern. His eyes snapped.

"Didn't you carry Mr. Morley's grips up to his room for him that night,
room number four hundred and twenty-one?"

"Yas, suh."

"What time was that?"

"Dat wuz jes' five minutes arftuh two, boss."

"Had you been asleep during the two hours before that?"

"I hates to say it, boss, but