you
know quite well you had a Panama hat on the day you were electrocuted.
And, what's more, it was brand new! And, what's more, it's outside in
the hall!"

It was brought in, and produced a spurious sense of being detectives
on the way to a discovery. But nothing came of it.

All through the discussion of this odd cab-incident the fact that
Fenwick "would have written down the cab-driver's number on his
shirt-sleeve," was on the watch for a recollection by one of the three
that a something had been found written on the shirt-cuff Fenwick
was electrocuted in. The ill-starred shrewdness of Scotland Yard, by
detecting a mere date in that something, had quite thrown it out of
gear as an item of evidence. By the way, did no one ever ask why
should any man, being of sound mind, write the current date on his
shirt-sleeve? It really is a thing that can look after its own
interests for twenty-four hours. The fact is that, no sooner do
coincidences come into court, than sane investigation flies out at
the skylight.

There was much discussion of this incident, you may be sure; but
that is all we need to know about it.

* * * * *

Our other chance gleanings of the half-year are in quite another part
of the field. They relate to Sally and Dr. Vereker's relation to
one another. If this relation had anything lover-like in it, they
certainly were not taking Europe into their confidence on the subject.
Whether their attitude was a spontaneous expression of respectful
indifference, or a _parti-pris_ to mislead and hoodwink her, of course
Europe couldn't tell. All that that continent, or the subdivision of
it known as Shepherd's Bush, could see was a parade of callousness
and studied civility on the part of both. The only circumstance that
impaired its integrity or made the bystander doubt the good faith
of its performers was the fact that one of them was a girl, and an
attractive one--so attractive that elderly ladies jumped meanly at
the supposed privileges of their age and sex, and kissed her a great
deal more than was at all fair or honourable.

The ostentatious exclusion of Cupid from the relationship of these two
demanded a certain mechanism. Every meeting had to be accounted for,
or there was no knowing what match-making busybodies wouldn't say; or,
rather, what they would say would be easily guessable by the lowest
human insight. Not that either of them ever mentioned precaution to
the othe