an interrogation point in his voice.

"Your nerves were strained to the breaking-point," I said. "Your trouble
with the old rascal had driven you half distracted. Then there was all
that occultistic hodgepodge with the old Hindoo. And you were overworked
and run down, anyway. No wonder you dreamed dreams and saw visions. And
it may have been that there was some telepathic contact between you and
Wolansky, and when he had his apoplectic attack----"

The sarcastic smile deepened on Banaotovich's face. "So you have it all
explained, and I'm acquitted?" he inquired.

"Acquitted?" I cried. "You were never even accused. If the state were to
bring action against every man who had a feeling that he would be
happier if someone else were out of the way, the state would have a big
job on its hands!"

"Very true," Banaotovich assented icily. "I see I haven't got very far
with you yet. You are forcing me to continue my not very edifying
autobiography.--Did you know my father?"

I remembered his father, and I remembered that he had not enjoyed the
best possible reputation.

"I think I knew him," I said hesitantly. "He was a--a money-lender,
wasn't he?"

"Don't spare my feelings," said Banaotovich bitterly. "He was a usurer,
and a cruel one. I had a feeling for years that his business was a
disgrace to the family, and I made no bones about telling him so. There
were ugly scenes. I thought several times of leaving home. Finally,
Father told me one day that since I didn't approve of the way he got his
money, he was doing me the favor of disinheriting me. I told him that
was all right with me, that I'd rather starve than live on money that
was stained with the blood of poor debtors.

"I thought at the time that I meant it. But about that time I had become
interested in a young woman. I had never had much to do with the girls,
and very few of them seemed at all interested in me. But this one
appeared to like me, and when I made advances to her, she didn't repel
me. I am no connoisseur of female beauty, but I think she was unusually
attractive, and at that time I was half mad about her. Still waters run
deep, you know.

"Well, she had me under her spell so completely that I changed my mind
about Father's money. I began to truckle to him, much as I had truckled
to Wolansky. I began to feel him out to find whether he had made a will.
He was very cold and non-committal. Finally I asked him outright if he
would reconsider his decisi