“Certainly it is. But—by Jove!—the strangest thing of all would be that Kersteven should be cruel to an animal.” “Yes, that’s true. I can’t—no, I can’t believe it possible.” “What could be his motive?” “I can’t conceive.” “I know the man. He has a passion of pity in him for the sufferings of the animals, a real passion. Only one thing could account for his being cruel, deliberately and persistently cruel, to a dog.” “What?” “If he were mad.” “Oh, that—impossible!” “It would be the only thing,” he repeated. “I know something of insanity. A chief feature of it is this, that it often creates in a man the reverse of what he was before it took possession of him. Thus the kind, sane man becomes the cruel madman; the lively, mercurial sane man the bitter, melancholy madman—and so on. You take me?” “Vernon isn’t mad,” I said with conviction. “Then he isn’t being cruel to his dog,” he said with equal conviction. “I can’t understand it,” I said dubiously. “The whole thing’s a mystery. Why should he buy the dog after swearing he would never have another? A whim, he said it was, a caprice. But I don’t believe that. No, there was some deeper, stranger reason. What could it be?” I was asking myself, not him. Gernham got up to go. “One thing I promise you,” he said. “I’ll set at rest your doubts in a very short time. I’ll find out for certain that Kersteven is treating that dog properly. I devote my life to our dumb friends, as you know. Well, they shan’t find me wanting now, though a man who has been my chum and my colleague is concerned in this matter.” “What are you going to do?” “To-morrow I ought to be working with Kersteven. After to-day I didn’t mean to go, I didn’t feel as if I could go. But now I will, and I’ll see the spaniel and see him with Kersteven. Never fear!” He spoke with biting decision. I looked at him and felt that he would do what he said. “Brush my suspicions away,” I said, “and I’ll be only too thankful. Good-bye.” He went off quickly. When the door was shut behind him I thought how strange it was that Gernham’s purpose in connection with Vernon was exactly the same as had been Vernon’s in connection with Deeming when he left Rome for London. He had wanted to see a black spaniel with Deeming. Gernham wanted to see a black spaniel with him. X Just before lunch the next day Gernham was announced. “Good morning,” he said, coming into the room close upon the heels of my man. “Can I lunch with you?” “Certainly. Lunch for two, Bates.” “Yes, Sir.” The man went out and shut the door. Then I turned to Gernham. “You’ve been to Wimpole Street?” I asked. “Yes. Do you remember I told you yesterday that Kersteven had taken my punishment lying down?” “Of course I do.” “Well, since then he’s thought it over, and got up.” “What do you mean?” “Yesterday I declined to work with him. To-day, he’s declined to work with me. He’s refused me admittance to his house. See that!”