“Then you’re absolutely convinced that Jefferson killed Stanworth, and that’s how it all happened, are you?” “I am, Alexander.” “Oh!” “Well, aren’t you?” “No,” Alec said uncompromisingly. “I’m not.” “But dash it all, I’ve proved it to you. You can’t shove all my proofs on one side in that off-hand way. The whole thing stands to reason. You can’t get away from it.” “If you say that Jefferson killed Stanworth,” Alec proceeded with obstinate deliberation, “then I’m perfectly sure you’re wrong. That’s all.” “But _why_?” “Because I don’t believe he did,” said Alec, with an air of great wisdom. “He’s not the sort of fellow to do a thing like that. I suppose I’ve got a sort of intuition about it,” he added modestly. “Intuition be hanged!” Roger retorted, with a not unjustified irritation. “You can’t back your blessed intuition against proofs like the ones I’ve just given you.” “But I do,” Alec said simply. “Every time,” he added, with a careful attention to detail. “Then I wash my hands of you,” said Roger shortly. For a time they paced side by side in silence. Alec appeared to be pondering deeply, and Roger was undisguisedly huffy. After all, it is a little irksome to solve in so ingenious yet so convincing a way a problem of such apparently mysterious depth, only to be brought up against a blank wall of disbelief founded on so unstable a foundation as mere intuition. One’s sympathy is certainly with Roger at that moment. “Well, anyhow, what are you going to do about it?” Alec asked, after some minutes’ reflection. “Surely you’re not going to tell the police without troubling to verify anything further, are you?” “Of course not. In fact, I haven’t made up my mind whether I shall tell the police at all yet.” “Oh!” “It depends largely on what the two of them—Jefferson and Mrs. Plant—have to tell me.” “So you’re going to tackle them about it, are you?” “Of course.” There was another short silence. “Are you going to see them together?” Alec asked. “No, I shall speak to Mrs. Plant first, I think. There are one or two minor points I want to clear up before I see Jefferson.” Alec reflected again. “I shouldn’t, Roger, if I were you,” he said quite earnestly. “Wouldn’t what?” “Speak to either of them about it. You’re not at all sure whether you’re really right or not; after all, it’s only guesswork from beginning to end, however brilliant guesswork.” “Guesswork!” Roger repeated indignantly. “There isn’t any guesswork about it! It’s——” “Yes, I know; you’re going to say it’s deduction. Well, you may be right or you may not; the thing’s too deep for me. But shall I tell you what I think about it? I think you’d be wise to drop the whole thing just as it is. You think you’ve solved it; and perhaps you have. Why not be content with that?” “But why this change of mind, Alexander?” “It isn’t a change of mind. You know I’ve never been keen on it from the very beginning. But now that Stanworth’s turned out to be such a skunk, why——”