"Oh, that's merely a question of safety," replied Octavius, thoughtfully. "If Melstane had died here, awkward questions might have been asked, which would have been difficult for Guinaud to answer; but at Jarlchester the man dies, and there is nothing to connect Judas or any one else with the death. That pill idea is a devilish ingenious one." "Quite worthy of a Frenchman!" "Pooh! the virtuous English can easily hold their own in that respect; for every extraordinary case in Paris I can find you an equivalent in London." "By the way," cried Japix, suddenly deserting the line of conversation in favour of a new one, "I went to see Miss Marson to-day; she's very ill, you know." "My fault," said Roger, regretfully, "blurting out the fact of Melstane's death." "Well, go on," said Fanks, impatiently; "what were you going to say, Japix?" "That I visited Miss Marson to-day." "You've said that. What else?" "And I saw her father, who told me a most extraordinary thing." "Wait a bit," said the detective, with great excitement. "I'll bet you a fiver that I can tell you what he told you." "The deuce you can!" replied Japix, in astonishment. "Well, I'll take the bet. Marson said?" "That Judas had written him asking him for an interview." "Right! How the--no, I won't swear. But how, by all that's sacred, did you find that out?" "And Judas also said it was about some documents." "Right again! I believe you are a magician, Fanks." "Not at all--inductive reasoning." "I wish you'd stop talking riddles," broke in Roger, irritably, "and tell us what the deuce you mean." "It won't be very pleasant--to your ears." "Go on. I know what you're going to say," said Roger, excitedly, "but don't mind me. I'm going to know the truth about this business." Japix looked at his two guests with astonishment depicted on his broad, good-humoured face, but judged it best to say nothing until Octavius explained matters, which he did speedily. "My dear Japix," he said, quietly, "there was a packet of letters which Roger obtained from Melstane at Jarlchester and forwarded to Miss Varlins, addressed to her by her first name." "Miss Judith!" "Precisely! Well, that stupid old postmistress muddled up the name with that of Judas, and sent the packet to him. We met Miss Varlins, and went together to get the packet from Guinaud. I asked her to let me see the packet. She refused at first, but ultimately consented on condition that I let her look over the letters first. I agreed to that, she did so, and I found nothing." "Well, well!" said Japix, quickly, "I don't see anything strange in that." "Don't you? I do! If there had been nothing particular in that packet, Miss Varlins would not have objected to my seeing it. So my belief is that Judas abstracted the letters he did not want me to see, and has gone to Marson to show them to him." "Well!" "Well!" repeated Fanks, angrily, "don't you see? Those letters, stolen by Judas, bear indirectly on the death of Melstane."