practice is necessary to the
successful threading of such by-ways. His rose, in fact, had disclosed
its limitations even before he had reached the inspector's flat. On his
entrance it had not adorned his coat.

He read the brief and scarcely illuminating account of the Elmford
murder in the morning papers. Irritation at his own assignment--an
unimportant case up-town--let it slip through his mind without arousing
any exceptional interest.

When he returned to the central office in the afternoon the doorman
beckoned to him.

"Inspector's been asking after you."

Garth yawned.

"All right. Tell him I'm here, Ed."

After a moment the doorman called:

"Inspector says, walk in."

Garth went, and paused, ill-at-ease, just within the doorway.

The huge man lolled in his chair. His quiet eyes fixed Garth genially.
For once he failed to fidget with his desk paraphernalia. His rumbling
voice was abnormally mild.

Garth appreciated these portents. They connoted favoritism, but he
traced that to the inspector's love for his daughter, because he was too
modest to place in the scales his own conspicuous virtues.

"Come over here and sit down, Garth."

Garth obeyed.

"Thanks, inspector."

The inspector's eyes twinkled.

"Boys tell me you're a little sore on the jobs you've had since you
smashed Slim and George and their favourites."

Garth grew red.

"There are old women everywhere," he said. "Nothing to do but talk."

The inspector guffawed.

"Ain't it so?"

"Incriminating question, chief."

The other leaned forward.

"I can't take chances with such a valuable man."

He cleared his throat.

"Were you thinking of paying your party call to-night? Because I've got
to disappoint you. But I don't want to do that two ways. I can't see
anything particularly dangerous about this job, but I'd like you to look
it over this afternoon. It's the Elmford murder. Suppose you've read
about it."

"I glanced it over in the morning papers," Garth answered. "They were
short on details."

"There doesn't seem much to clear up," the inspector said, "except Dr.
Randall's whereabouts. The men I sent out this morning haven't got a
trace. Nothing's been heard from the ferries or the stations or out of
town. Seems there ought to be some indication at the house for a sharp
pair of eyes."

"There's no doubt then," Garth asked, "that he killed Treving?"

The inspector ran his hand through his hair.

"Those must have been r