, and he would willingly have helped Anstice to solve this problem
if he could have seen his way to find the solution.

Presently Anstice looked up rather apologetically.

"I'm awfully stupid, but I don't see what you mean about a
foreigner...."

Clive smiled.

"Don't you? Well, I'll explain. And after all I may be wrong, you know.
However, here goes." He bent down again and pointed to the word India,
which for some reason was set in inverted commas. "Don't you notice any
peculiarities about these commas? Think of the usual manner in which an
English writer uses them--and note the difference here."

Anstice studied the word with suddenly keen attention, and instantly
noted the peculiarity of which Clive had spoken.

"The first double comma, so to speak, is set below the line, and the
other one above. But English writers and printers use both above the
line. Isn't that so?"

"Yes. Whereas in the majority of French or Italian printing the commas
are set as they are here--a trick which, to my mind, points to the
strong probability, at least, of the writer of this letter being a
foreigner of sorts."

"Italian! Why----" Suddenly a vision of the woman with the Italian name,
Tochatti, Mrs. Carstairs' personal attendant, flashed into Anstice's
mind, and Clive's eyes grew still keener in expression as he noted the
eager tone in his visitor's voice.

"Well?" As Anstice paused the expert spoke quickly. "Does the suggestion
convey anything to your mind?"

"Yes," said Anstice. "It does. But the only Italian--or
half-Italian--person I know, a woman, by the way, is absolutely the last
one I could suspect in the matter."

"Really?" As he spoke Clive removed his eyeglasses once more and stared
with his brilliant eyes at the other man's face. "Don't forget that in
cases like these it is generally the last person to be suspected who
turns out to be the one responsible. Of course I don't know the facts of
the case, and my suggestions are therefore of little practical value. At
the same time the very fact that you are able at once to identify an
Italian in the case----"

"She is not altogether Italian," said Anstice slowly. "She's a
half-breed, so to speak--and I really can't in fairness suspect her,
devoted as she is to Mrs. Carstairs----"

He broke off abruptly, annoyed with himself for having betrayed so much;
but Clive's manner suddenly became more animated.

"See here, Dr. Anstice." He sat down again, and handed his c