Vezin looked up sheepishly.

"I was coming to that," he resumed, with apologetic wrigglings of his
body. "In London I found that I was a whole week out in my reckoning of
time. I had stayed over a week in the town, and it ought to have been
September 15th,--instead of which it was only September 10th!"

"So that, in reality, you had only stayed a night or two in the inn?"
queried the doctor.

Vezin hesitated before replying. He shuffled upon the mat.

"I must have gained time somewhere," he said at length--"somewhere or
somehow. I certainly had a week to my credit. I can't explain it. I can
only give you the fact."

"And this happened to you last year, since when you have never been back
to the place?"

"Last autumn, yes," murmured Vezin; "and I have never dared to go back.
I think I never want to."

"And, tell me," asked Dr. Silence at length, when he saw that the little
man had evidently come to the end of his words and had nothing more to
say, "had you ever read up the subject of the old witchcraft practices
during the Middle Ages, or been at all interested in the subject?"

"Never!" declared Vezin emphatically. "I had never given a thought to
such matters so far as I know--"