"'I do not mean false play on his part,' replied my friend. 'Far be
it from me to suggest a thought against his integrity of character.
No, no! I believe him to be a man of honor. The false play, if there
has been any, has been against him.'

"'Against him?' I could but respond, with increasing surprise. Then
a suspicion of the truth flashed into my mind.

"'He had been drinking too much that morning,' said my friend. 'That
was the meaning of his strange and defective management of the case,
and of his confusion of ideas when he made his closing argument to
the jury.'

"It was clear to me now, and I wondered that I had not thought of it
before. 'But,' I asked, 'what has this to do with foul play? You
don't mean to intimate that his liquor was drugged?'

"'No. The liquor was all right, so far as that goes,' he replied.
'The story I heard was this. It came to me in rather a curious way.
I was in the reading-room at the League this morning looking over a
city paper, when I happened to hear your name spoken by one of two
gentlemen who sat a little behind me talking in a confidential way,
but in a louder key than they imagined. I could not help hearing
what they said. After the mention of your name I listened with close
attention, and found that they were talking about the law-suit, and
about Mr. B----in connection therewith. "It was a sharp game," one
of them said. "How was it done?" inquired the other.

"'I partially held my breath,' continued my friend, 'so as not to