in my way--you're standing on a part of the carpet which
I want to tear up. Do you mind moving?"

Such cold-blooded calmness infuriated me. I sprang at Quint, seized him,
and shouted to Jones to tie his hands behind him with the blood-soaked
handkerchief which lay on the floor.

At first, while Jones and I were engaged in the operation of securing
the wretched man, Quint looked at us both as though surprised; then he
grew angry and asked us what the devil we were about.

"Those who shed blood must answer for it!" I said solemnly.

"What? What's the matter with you?" he demanded in a rage. "Shed blood?
What if I did? What's that to you? Untie this handkerchief, you
unmentionable idiot!"

I looked at Jones:

"His mind totters," I said hoarsely.

"What's that!" cried Quint, struggling to get off the chair whither I had
pushed him: but with my handkerchief we tied his ankles to the rung of
the chair, heedless of his attempts to kick us, and sprang back out of
range.

"Now," I said, "what have you done with the poor victim of your fury?
Where is he? Where is all that remains of Professor Boomly?"

"Boomly? I don't know where he is. How the devil should I know?"

"Don't lie," I said solemnly.

"Lie! See here, Smith, when I get out of this chair I'll settle you,
too--"

"Quint! There is another and more terrible chair which awaits such
criminals as you!"

"You old fluff!" he shouted. "I'll knock your head off, too. Do you
understand? I'll attend to you as I attended to Boomly--"

"Assassin!" I retorted calmly. "Only an alienist can save you now. In
this awful moment--"

A light touch on my arm interrupted me, and, a trifle irritated, as any
man might be when checked in the full flow of eloquence, I turned to find
Mildred at my elbow.

"Let me talk to him," she said in a quiet voice. "Perhaps I may not
irritate him as you seem to."

"Very well," I said. "Jones and I are here as witnesses." And I folded my
arms in an attitude not, perhaps, unpicturesque.

"Dr. Quint," said Mildred in her soft, agreeable voice, and actually
smiling slightly at the self-confessed murderer, "is it really true that
you are guilty of shedding the blood of Professor Boomly?"

"It is," said Quint, coolly.

She seemed rather taken aback at that, but presently recovered her
equanimity.

"Why?" she asked gently.

"Because he attempted a most hellish crime!" yelled Quint.

"W-what crime?" she asked faintly.

"I'll tell you