"A great grief has fallen upon this man. It is only within the last hour that he has discovered that his daughter had been murdered. He remains with you some time, and then other persons make their appearance, among them newspaper reporters and policemen, all doubtless drawn to your house by this business of the murder. You have also an interview with a young gentleman. The day passes. It is evening, and you are seated with another person. By this person you are offered one thousand pounds if you discover the murderer of the young girl, and another thousand if you find her sister, who has strangely disappeared. I do not wish to deprive you of such credit as belongs to a man who sympathises with a friend in trouble; but it is certainly a fact that the dim prospect of earning such a handsome sum of money is very strong within you. That is all." I deliberated awhile in silence, and Devlin did not disturb my musings. All that he had narrated had passed through my mind while he was engaged in dressing my hair. Had he the power of reading thoughts by the mere action of his fingers upon a man's head? No other solution occurred to me, and had I not been placed in my present position I should instantly have rejected it; but now I was in the mood for entertaining it, wild and incredible as it appeared. During this interval of silence I made a strong endeavour to calm myself for what was yet to take place between me and Devlin, and I was successful. When I spoke I was more composed. "You say you do not know where I live. Is it true?" I asked. "Quite true," he answered. "You do not really know my name?" "I do not." "Nor the names of my visitors?" "Nor the names of your visitors." "But you must be aware," I said, "admitting, for the sake of argument, that you are not romancing----" "Yes," he said, laughing, "admitting that, for the sake of argument." "You must be aware that the name of the first man who visited me--he being, as you have declared, the father of the murdered girl--is Melladew." "I am aware of it, not from actual knowledge, but from what I have read in the newspapers." "But of the name of the gentleman who, you say, offers the reward of a thousand pounds, you are ignorant." "Quite ignorant. Now, having replied to your questions frankly, confess that you have forced yourself upon me with a distinct motive, in which I, a stranger to you, am interested." "My object is to discover the murderer and bring him to justice." "A very estimable design." "And also to discover what has become of the murdered girl's sister." "Exactly. How do you propose to accomplish your object?" "Through you." "Indeed! Through me?"