But," I asked, "what bearing could that have on the question any way?
He had certainly been out that night, for the officer saw him."

"Yes, the officer thought he saw him," he replied, "but officers are
sometimes mistaken."

I saw his drift and also his oversight, as I thought.

"I am afraid you are off the track a bit, Miles," I said, "when you try
to reason that the officer was mistaken and that White was not out that
night. We have both for a moment overlooked a factor in the case that
proves the contrary. Admitting," I continued, "that the officer might
possibly have been mistaken as to the identity of the man he saw leave
the house, he was not mistaken about the ulster for it was taken by
some one to Belle Stanton's, but whoever wore the ulster also wore the
cap that matched it for the officer saw that too, and as the cap was
back in the room in the morning, the wearer of it must have returned."

Miles nodded his assent. "Such being the case," I concluded, "the wearer
must have been White, because no one else, certainly not the murderer,
would have returned to the scene."

"That is true," Miles admitted; "I had forgotten about the cap."

"That being so then," I said, "I also maintain that he wore not only the
cap, but the ulster when he returned, and that the ulster must therefore
have been taken to Belle Stanton's by some one else, and at a later
hour."

The detective shook his head. "I hardly think you have satisfactorily
established the last proposition," he said, "for he might have returned
with the cap though without the ulster."

"Well, we will see who is right," I answered, for I was not willing to
abandon my theory.

Nothing more was said, and during the remainder of our journey I was
absorbed in the intricacies of the case, and I think Miles was similarly
engaged, for he seemed in a deep study. I was glad to think it so, for I
wanted to thoroughly engage his interest, as I had determined to make
him an ally. I felt that I could not handle the matter alone, for while
I was willing and able, as I thought, to reason out all the abstractions
involved, I must have expert assistance in the detective work to furnish
me the material of facts with which to really accomplish anything.

I had no hesitation in using Miles in this way, for while I realized
that its end was to establish, if possible, the innocence of the
accused, which was contrary to the usual attitude of a prosecuting
officer, I, neverthel