n't he?" she asked suddenly.

"Why, yes," he replied, surprised.

"I thought," she continued, "that what I had seen would be of service
to you and him. And I can't understand why father and George want
all this secrecy. One would think they were afraid of finding out
something--something to make them ashamed! What I want is to see the
guilty man punished--that's all."

He recalled Braceway's statement that he had been engaged to marry Maria
Fulton. Could it be that she still loved him, and that the engagement to
Morley, her helping him financially, had been all a pretense, the pitiful
product of pique toward Braceway to show him she cared nothing for him?
And now she wanted to help Braceway, not Bristow?

He decided to ignore that part of the situation. The obvious
incrimination of Withers gave him enough to think about. He was sorry it
had happened. He did not believe there was the shadow of a case against
him.

He rose and handed the watch to Miss Fulton.

"No," she objected; "I don't want it. You and Mr. Braceway, perhaps, will
make use of it."

He hesitated before putting it into his pocket.

"Why did you send for me, Miss Fulton?" he asked, after thanking her for
doing so. "Why me instead of your lawyer, Judge Rogers?"

"He would have forbidden me to talk," she answered simply; "and I wanted
to talk. I refuse ever again to carry around with me other people's
secrets. It's too oppressive."

"Have you told this to anybody else?--or do you intend to?"

"No; nobody; and I won't."

"Now, one thing about Mr. Morley: do you think he has stolen money--from
his bank, for instance?"

"Why, no! He was speculating--and losing. I'm glad you asked about him.
I shall never see him again--never!"

Bristow left her with the assurance that he and Braceway would make the
best possible use of her theory and the facts she had adduced. He walked
slowly back to his bungalow, his limp more pronounced than usual. He felt
physically very tired.

But of one thing he was still certain: the strength of his case
against Perry Carpenter. He chose to stick to that, much more stubbornly
than Braceway had refused to consider minutely the exact situation of
Withers in regard to the crime. If Withers had murdered his wife,
circumstances were now ideally in his favour. The two men, unusually
brainy, quick thinkers, who were recognized by the police and the public
as able to bring punishment on the guilty man, had other and opposing