"Your argument is weak," replied Dora spiritedly. "Mr. Edermont believed that he would die a violent death, and what he believed came to pass. That does away with all your sophistries." "But, Miss Carew, the cause of his fear was done away with before your guardian died." "How do you know that?" "Joad told me. We were discussing the possibility of the existence of this unknown enemy whom Mr. Edermont feared; and Joad mentioned that Mr. Pallant had set that fear at rest." "Do you mean to say that Mr. Pallant told him his enemy was dead?" "Joad thought that such was the case." "Then you must see," cried Dora triumphantly, "that such a supposition does away with your theory of monomania. Evidently Mr. Edermont's fear was founded on no fancy, but on fact." "Well, I will agree with you for the sake of argument;" said Pride hastily; "but granted that all you say is true, it brings us no nearer the solution of the mystery. Admitting that the enemy whom Mr. Edermont feared really existed: if such enemy died, as we suppose Mr. Pallant told our poor friend, who killed him, and verified his lifelong prediction that he would come to a violent end?" "I understand your meaning," was Dora's reply; "but I do not think all the talking in the world will aid us to discover the actual assassin. What is your belief, Mr. Pride?" "I cannot say that I have any particular belief, Miss Carew. These criminal problems are too intricate for me." "Don't you wish to earn the reward?" "I should not mind doing so," replied Pride, with a good-natured laugh. "No man in his senses would lose the chance of gaining fifty thousand pounds. All the same, I am not clever enough to win it. I do not see where to begin." "Do you think that the manuscript in the bureau was the motive for the crime?" "No. Why should anyone have killed Mr. Edermont to gain a worthless manuscript?" "It might not have been worthless to the assassin," objected Dora; "it contained the story of Mr. Edermont's past life." "But what has his past life to do with his violent death?" "Everything. You forget that Mr. Edermont believed himself to be a threatened man." "And so we get back to the starting-point of our argument!" laughed Pride. Dora laughed also; and, finding that they were arguing in a circle, changed that particular line of conversation. "You knew Mr. Edermont well?" she asked, after a pause. "Yes--for quite fifteen years. He was very good to me, and helped me to the post I now hold." "Did you know Mr. Edermont at Christchurch?" "Christchurch?" repeated Pride slowly. "No; I did not know him then. Did he live there?" "I believe so," said Dora curtly, and closed the conversation.