"He is accused of a terrible crime, of which he is entirely innocent. I
want you to save him."

"I have been asked to do that many times."

"And you have always succeeded?"

"Oh, no; in several cases the persons have been hanged."

The visitor shuddered violently.

"I had heard," he said, "that you never failed to find the guilty
persons and to save the innocent."

"That is the truth. It has been my good fortune to leave no case
unsettled."

"But you said that these innocent persons had been hanged."

"They were hanged," said Nick, "but they were not innocent. Their
friends assured me that the persons were entirely guiltless, but it was
not true.

"And therefore," Nick continued, looking straight into the man's eyes,
"I should advise you to be very sure of your friend's innocence before
you put the case in my hands."

The visitor looked very much relieved.

"I'm perfectly sure of it," he cried. "My friend had nothing to do with