Who's that tapping? Oh,
it's you, is it, Mr. Alderson--you startled me so that I---- Mr.
Edgington here? Well, why don't you show him in? After luncheon, Miss
Strong, you may come in again."

Mr. Edgington had a tightly-curled mustache, a pink flush on his
cheeks, wore an obviously new sack suit, had a carnation in his
buttonhole, came in with an air of marked hurry, and carried a roll of
papers.

"I thought I must have a talk with you," said he, "on the evidence in
that Bunn's Ferry land case. The time for taking evidence is rapidly
passing, and the court warned us that it wouldn't be extended again.
That proof you must furnish, or we shall be beaten."

"Yes--yes, I see," said Amidon, who knew absolutely nothing about the
matter. "We should feel really annoyed by such a termination!"

"Annoyed!" exclaimed the lawyer. "Say, Brassfield, that reminds me of
Artemus Ward's statement that he was 'ashamed' when some one died!
You'd lose the best wells you've got. And it would involve those
transfers to the Waldrons, and might carry them down."

"The Waldrons!" exclaimed Florian.

"Why, I mean Miss Bessie and her aunt," said Edgington. "I mean
bankruptcy---- But we've gone all over that before."

Amidon nodded, with an air of knowing all about the matter.

"Lots of times," said he. "And this evidence is----? Please give me
the exact requirements--er, again."

"The exact requirements," said Edgington, "as I have frequently shown
you, and without its doing much good, are to prove that some time in
March, 1896, you did not make a partnership agreement with this man
Corkery by which you were to share with him the proceeds of your
oil-prospecting, and under which he went into possession of this tract
of land. He has a line of testimony which shows that you did. Proving
a negative is rather unusual, but about the only thing which will save
you is an alibi. Now you must pardon the expression, but you've always
evaded my questions as to your whereabouts prior to June of that year.
You've never flatly denied Corkery's story, but if it weren't for the
inherent improbability of it, I'd have given up the fight long ago, for
you have not helped as a client should. You haven't confided----"

"But I will!" said Amidon energetically. "The man's a perjurer, and
I'll prove it! All that time I was in Wisconsin. I was--I'll prove
where I was----"

"Good!" cried Edgington, noting a tendency to falter. "And now fo