"Well, he wasn't so very hedged in," retorted Barbara. "I was there
and saw how closely people approached Jimmie."

"Did you observe any one hand him anything?"

"N-no," Barbara drawled the word as she strove to visualize the
scene in the court room; then catching Kent's look of doubt she
added with unmistakable emphasis. "Helen and I do not believe
that Jimmie died from natural causes; we think the tragedy should
be investigated." Her soft voice deepened. "I must know the
truth, Harry, dear; for I feel that perhaps I am responsible for
Jimmie's death."

"You!" Kent's voice rose in indignant protest. "Absurd!"

"No, it isn't If it had not been for my wager with Jimmie, he
never would have entered our house disguised as a burglar."

"What brought about the wager?"

"Last Sunday Helen was boasting of her two new police dogs which
Philip Rochester recently gave her, and said how safe she felt.
We've had several burglaries in our neighborhood," Barbara explained,
"and when Jimmie scoffed at the dogs, I bet him that he could not
break into the house without the dogs arousing the household. I
never once thought about Jimmie's heart trouble," she confessed,
and her lips quivered. "I feel so guilty."

"You are inconsistent, Babs," chided Kent gently. "One moment you