nts fit themselves
together; but they fitted imperfectly as yet.

Santoine knew that he lacked the key. Many men could profit by
possessing the contents of Santoine's safe and might have shot
Blatchford rather than let Santoine know their presence there; it was
impossible for Santoine to tell which among these many the man who had
been in the study might be. Who Eaton's enemies were was equally
unknown to Santoine. But there could be but one man--or at most one
small group of men--who could be at the same time Eaton's enemy and
Santoine's. To have known who Eaton was would have pointed this man to
Santoine.

The blind man lay upon his back, his open, sightless eyes unwinking in
the intensity of his thought.

Gabriel Warden had had an appointment with a young man who had come
from Asia and who--Warden had told his wife--he had discovered lately
had been greatly wronged. Eaton, under Conductor Connery's
questioning, had admitted himself to be that young man; Santoine had
verified this and had learned that Eaton was, at least, the young man
who had gone to Warden's house that night. But Gabriel Warden had not
been allowed to help Eaton; so far from that, he had not even been
allowed to meet and talk with Eaton; he had been called out, plainly,
to prevent his meeting Eaton, and killed.

Eaton disappeared and concealed himself at once after Warden's murder,
apparently fearing that he would also be attacked. But Eaton was not a
man whom this personal fear would have restrained from coming forward
later to tell why Warden had been killed. He had been urged to come
forward and promised that others would give him help in Warden's place;
still, he had concealed himself. This must mean that others than
Warden could not help Eaton; Eaton evidently did not know, or else
could not hope to prove, what Warden had discovered.

Santoine held this thought in abeyance; he would see later how it
checked with the facts.

Eaton had remained in Seattle--or near Seattle--eleven days; apparently
he had been able to conceal himself and to escape attack during that
time. He had been obliged, however, to reveal himself when he took the
train; and as soon as possible a desperate attempt had been made
against him, which, through mistake, had struck down Santoine instead
of Eaton. This attack had been made under circumstances which, if it
had been successful, would have made it improbable that Eaton's
murderer could escape. It had