"Well, he had the fatal pill-box in his possession; he uses morphia for his Soothers; he hated Melstane, so altogether--" "There was a very nice little case against him," finished Japix, with a gigantic laugh. "Oh, I know your profession Monsieur Lecoq; I have read Gaboriau's romances." "I'm afraid we're not so infallible as the great Lecoq." "Pooh! why not? I dare say he's modelled on Vidocq. At all events, you've now got an enigma which would delight Monsieur Gaboriau." "Real life is more difficult than fiction." "There you are wrong. Fiction is a reflection of real life--a holding of the mirror up to Nature. Eh--author?" "Shakespeare," said Octavius, promptly, "and quoted wrongly." "Never mind; the spirit if not the form is there." "We've strayed from the subject," observed Axton, smiling, "regarding this case. Since Spolger and myself are innocent, who is guilty?" "Ask something easier." "Do you know, my good Vidocq," remarked Japix, contemplating his large feet, "that I wonder you have not turned your attention to Monsieur Judas." "I have done so," said Octavius, quietly; "but I can bring nothing home to him. He's very clever." "A scoundrel's virtue." "Yes, and a scoundrel's safety." "Didn't you tell me the other day that you thought Judas held all the threads of the case in his hand?" said Roger, turning to Fanks. "I fancy I said something like that," replied Octavius, slowly; "but, if I mistake not, you had suspicions of Judas yourself." "Had," said Roger, emphatically; "no, have! I have suspicions of Judas, and I'm pretty sure--" "That he committed the murder," finished the Doctor. "Oh, I'm not prepared to go that far," said Fanks, quickly; "but as regards Monsieur Guinaud, I'll tell you one thing. It's the custom, I understand, for the master to check the assistant with regard to the number of pills in a box." "Yes; that is the usual custom." "Well, I understood from Judas that such was the case with Melstane's tonic pills. Having my suspicions, however, I went and saw Wosk myself." "And what did he say?" "That he counted the pills in the box and then handed it back to Judas--open." "Oh," said Axton, suddenly, "then you think it was Judas put the two extra pills in the box?" "He might have done so." "But what would be his motive in getting rid of Melstane?" "Ah, there's no difficulty in answering that," replied Fanks, quickly. "It appears Judas loves Miss Marson to distraction; Melstane stood in his way, so he might have got rid of him by the pill method." "Granted," said Japix, eagerly; "but even if he did remove Melstane by that morphia method, he would be no nearer the object of his love than before. A chemist's assistant is not a fitting match for the heiress of Francis Marson." "True, true!" "Besides," said Axton, taking up the defence, "why should Judas take the trouble to kill Melstane at Jarlchester when he could have done so at Ironfields?"