"Wednesday, in effect?"

"Can't say, this time?"

"Suppose, as a hypothesis, you are convinced of a man's guilt, but can
obtain little or no evidence?"

"He goes through life a free and independent citizen of this or any other
country. Arrests on suspicion are not my long suit."

"How does one get evidence?" purred Hart. "It isn't scattered broadcast
by a clever criminal. And you fellows seem to object to my method, which
has been the only effectual one so far in this affair."

"If you had shot that specter the other night there would have been the
deuce to pay."

"But you would now be sure of the murderer?"

"Why do you assume that?"

"Like Eugene Aram, he can't keep away from the scene of his crime."

Winter felt he was skating on thin ice, so hastened to escape.

"Detective work is nearly all guessing," he said sententiously, "yet one
must beware of what I may term obvious guessing. If cause and effect were
so closely allied in certain classes of crime my department would cease
to exist, and the protection of life and property might be left safely to
the ordinary police. By the way, P. C. Robinson has been rather inactive