ave or not," he replied non-committally.

"Is it that you think it possible to produce cancer artificially and
purposely?" shot out Craig.

Dr. Goode considered. I wondered whether he had any suspicions of which
he would not speak because of professional ethics. Kennedy had fixed
his eyes on him sharply and the doctor seemed uneasy under the scrutiny.

"I've heard of cases," he ventured finally, "where X-rays and radium
have caused cancerous growths. You know several of the experimenters
have lost their lives in that way--martyrs to science."

I could not help, somehow or other, thinking of Dr. Loeb. Did Dr. Goode
refer indirectly to him? Loeb certainly was no martyr to science. He
might be a charlatan. But was he a scientific villain?

"That may all be true," pursued Craig relentlessly, evidently bound to
draw the young man out. "But it is, after all, a question of fact, not
of opinion."

Myra was looking at him eagerly now and the doctor saw that she expected
him to speak. It was more pressure than he could resist.

"I have long suspected something of the sort," he remarked in a low,
forced tone. "I've had samples of the blood of the Moretons examined. In
fact I have found that their blood affects the photographic plate
through a layer of black paper. You know red blood cells and serum have
a distinct power of reducing photo-silver on plates when exposed to
certain radiations. In other words, I have found that their blood is,
apparently, radioactive!"

Myra looked at him aghast. It was evidently the first time he had said
anything about this new suspicion, even to her. The very idea was
shocking. Could it be that someone was using these new forces with
devilish ingenuity?

"If that's the case, who would be the most likely person to do such a
thing?" shot out Craig.

"I wouldn't like to say," he returned, dodging, though we were all
thinking of Dr. Loeb.

"But the motive?" demanded Craig. "What motive would there be?"

"Darius Moreton is very intimate with a certain person," he returned
enigmatically. "It is even reported in town that he has left that person
a large sum of money in his will in payment for his services, if you
call them so, to the family."

He had evidently not intended to say so much and, although Craig tried
in every way, he could not get the doctor to amplify what he had hinted
at.

We returned to the Moreton house, Kennedy apparently much impressed by
what Dr. Goode had said.

"I