'Quite wrong--quite wrong,' said Sir Samuel. 'In the City, we may not be lawyers, but we understand evidence.' 'I cannot choose but give up the case,' George replied. 'Consider. Already Mrs. Arundel has requested her daughter to break off her engagement; I am forbidden the house; Elsie has left her mother and gone to her brother. No, sir--take the papers, and give them to some other person.' Mr. Dering mechanically took the papers, and laid his hand upon them. 'Let me remind you,' George continued, 'how far we have got. We have proved that Edmund Gray is a real person, known to many. We have not proved the connection between him and the robberies committed in his name. He is apparently a most respectable person. The problem before you is still to fix the crime on someone. I shall be glad to hear that it has been successfully solved.' 'Glad?' asked Sir Samuel. 'You will be glad? This is amazing!' 'Eight years ago, Mr. Dering, another man stood here, and was accused of a similar crime. He refused to stay in the house under such a charge. That was foolish. Time has established his innocence. I shall stay. I am your Partner. The Partnership can only be dissolved by mutual consent. I remain.' Mr. Dering laid his head upon his hand and sighed. 'I believe I shall be driven mad before long with this business,' he said querulously. He had lost something of his decision of speech. 'Well, I will give the case to somebody else. Meantime, look here. Tell me how these things came here.' The 'things' were two envelopes containing letters. They were addressed to Edmund Gray, and had been opened. One of them was George's own note inviting him to call. The other was the letter from the Manager of the Bank asking for other references. 'How did they get here?' asked Mr. Dering again. 'Had you not better ask Checkley?' George rang the bell. 'I found these on the top of my letters, Checkley,' said Mr. Dering. 'You were the first in the room. You put the letters on the table. I found them on the top of the heap. Nobody had been in the room except you and me. You must have put them there.' Checkley looked at the envelopes, and began to tremble. 'I don't know,' he said. 'I put the letters on the table. They were not among them. Somebody must have put them there'--he looked at the new Partner--'some friend of Mr. Edmund Gray, between the time that I left the room and the time when you came.' 'I entered the room,' Mr. Dering replied, 'as you were leaving it.' 'Observe,' said George, 'that in the whole conduct of this business there has been one man engaged who has control of the letters. That man--the only man in the office--is, I believe, the man before us--your clerk--Checkley.' 'How came the letters here?' Mr. Dering repeated angrily. 'I don't know,' answered Checkley. 'He'--indicating George--'must have put them there.'