, sir?"

"My dream was of a crime, not of an accident. No man could be such a fool
as you have made out this X of yours to be. Only an extraordinary purpose
or some imperious necessity could drive a man to shoot an arrow across an
open court where people were passing hither and yon, even if he didn't
see anyone in the gallery."

"By which you mean----"

"That he had already marked the approach of his victim and was ready with
his weapon."

"You are undoubtedly right, and I only wish to say this: that the purpose
in my relation was merely to show the method and manner of this shooting,
leaving _you_ to put on the emphasis of crime if you saw fit."

The gravity with which Mr. Gryce received this suggestion had the effect
of slightly embarrassing Sweetwater. Yet he presently ventured to add
after a moment of respectful waiting:

"Did you know that after I woke from my dream I had a moment's doubt as
to its accuracy on one point? The bow was undoubtedly flung behind the
curtain, but the man----"

He paused abruptly. A morsel of clean white paper had just been pushed
across the table under his eyes, and a peremptory voice was saying:

"Write me his name. I will do the same for you."

XIV

A LOOP OF SILK

Sweetwater hesitated.

"I am very fond of the one of your own choosing," he smiled, "but if you
insist----"

Mr. Gryce was already writing.

In another moment the two slips were passed in exchange across the table.

Instantly, a simultaneous exclamation left the lips of both.

Each read a name he was in no wise prepared to see. They had been
following diverging lines instead of parallel ones; and it took some few
minutes for them to adjust themselves to this new condition.

Then Mr. Gryce spoke:

"What led you into loading up Correy with an act which to accept as true
would oblige us to deny every premise we have been at such pains to
establish?"

"Because--and I hope you will pardon me, Mr. Gryce, since our conclusions
are so different--I found it easier to attribute this deed of folly--or
crime, if we can prove it such--to a man young in years than to one old
enough to know better."

"Very good; that is undoubtedly an excellent reason."

As this was said with an accent we will for want of a better word call
_dry_, Sweetwater, hardy as he was, flushed to his ears. But then any
prick from Mr. Gryce went very deep with him.

"Perhaps," he ventured, "you will give even less indulgence to wh