a chase of this
kind, do they, sir?" he remarked, with the greatest cheerfulness. "Mr.
Mansell is no more of a gentleman than Mr. Hildreth; yet, because he is
the second one of his caste who has attracted our attention, you are
naturally very much surprised. But wait till you hear what we have to
tell you. I am confident you will be satisfied with our reasons for
suspecting this new party." And he glanced at Mr. Byrd, who, seeing no
cause for delay, proceeded to unfold before the District Attorney the
evidence they had collected against Mr. Mansell.

It was strong, telling, and seemingly conclusive, as we already know;
and awoke in the mind of Mr. Ferris the greatest perplexity of his
life. It was not simply that the facts urged against Mr. Mansell were of
the same circumstantial character and of almost the same significance as
those already urged against Mr. Hildreth, but that the association of
Miss Dare's name with this new theory of suspicion presented
difficulties, if it did not involve consequences, calculated to make any
friend of Mr. Orcutt quail. And Mr. Ferris was such a friend, and knew
very well the violent nature of the shock which this eminent lawyer
would experience at discovering the relations held by this trusted woman
toward a man suspected of crime.

Then Miss Dare herself! Was this beautiful and cherished woman, hitherto
believed by all who knew her to be set high above the reach of reproach,
to be dragged down from her pedestal and submitted to the curiosity of
the rabble, if not to its insinuations and reproach? It seemed hard;
even to this stern, dry searcher among dead men's bones, it seemed both
hard and bitter. And yet, because he was an honest man, he had no
thought of paltering with his duty. He could only take time to make sure
what that duty was. He accordingly refrained from expressing any opinion
in regard to Mr. Mansell's culpability to the two detectives, and
finally dismissed them without any special orders.

But a day or two after this he sent for them again, and said:

"Since I have seen you I have considered, with due carefulness, the
various facts presented me in support of your belief that Craik Mansell
is the man who assailed the Widow Clemmens, and have weighed them
against the equally significant facts pointing toward Mr. Hildreth as
the guilty party, and find but one link lacking in the former chain of
evidence which is not lacking in the latter; and that is this: Mrs.
Cle