for explanations, for he, too, had seen the "fudge" and marveled.
Hence, Average Jones had him, together with young Mr. Dorr, at a
private room luncheon at the Cosmic Club, where he offered an
explanation and elucidation.

"The whole affair," he said, "was a problem in the connecting up of
loose ends. At the New York terminus we had two deaths in the
office of a man with powerful and subtle enemies, that office being
practically sealed against intrusion except for a very large
keyhole. Some deadly thing is introduced through that keyhole; so
much is practically proven by the breaking out of the chewing gum
with which I coated it. Probably the scheme was carried out in the
evening when the building was nearly deserted. The killing
influence reaches a corner far out of the direct line of the
keyhole. Being near the radiator, that corner represents the
attraction of warmth. Therefore, the invading force was some
sentient creature."

Dorr shuddered. "Some kind of venomous snake," he surmised.

"Not a bad guess. But a snake, however small, would have been
instantly noticed by the dogs. Now, let's look at the Bridgeport
end. Here, again, we have a deadly influence loosed; this time by
accident. A scientific experimentalist is the innocent cause of the
disaster. Here, too, the peril is somewhat dependent upon warmth,
since we know, from Professor Moseley's agonized eagerness for a
frost, that cold weather would have put an end to it. The cold
weather fails to come. Dogs are killed. Finally a child falls
victim, and on that child is found a circular mark, similar to the
mark on Mr. Dorr's dog's lip. You see the striking points of