n that I had broken the bolt. Now I
admit that this was so, only in things like this you do not seem to
conclude, you jump so fast that you see, or seem to. On the other hand,
when you see a standing ring of fire produced by whirling a burning
stick, you do not believe in its continuous existence. It is the same
when witnessing a legerdemain performance. Seeing is not always
believing, despite the proverb; but believing is often seeing. It is not
to the point that in that little matter of the door Wimp was as
hopelessly and incurably wrong as he has been in everything all along.
Though the door was securely bolted, I confess that I should have seen
that I had broken the bolt in forcing the door, even if it had been
broken beforehand. Never once since December 4th did this possibility
occur to me, till Wimp with perverted ingenuity suggested it. If this is
the case with a trained observer, one moreover fully conscious of this
ineradicable tendency of the human mind, how must it be with an
untrained observer?"

"Come to the point, come to the point," said the Home Secretary, putting
out his hand as if it itched to touch the bell on the writing-table.

"Such as," went on Grodman imperturbably, "such as--Mrs. Drabdump. That
worthy person is unable, by repeated violent knocking, to arouse her
lodger who yet desires to be aroused; she becomes alarmed, she rushes
across to get my assistance; I burst open the door--what do you think
the good lady expected to see?"

"Mr. Constant murdered, I suppose," murmured the Home Secretary,
wonderingly.

"Exactly. And so she saw it. And what should you think was the condition
of Arthur Constant when the door yielded to my violent exertions and
flew open?"

"Why, was he not dead?" gasped the Home Secretary, his heart fluttering
violently.

"Dead? A young, healthy fellow like that! When the door flew open Arthur
Constant was sleeping the sleep of the just. It was a deep, a very deep
sleep, of course, else the blows at his door would long since have
awakened him. But all the while Mrs. Drabdump's fancy was picturing her
lodger cold and stark the poor young fellow was lying in bed in a nice
warm sleep."

"You mean to say you found Arthur Constant alive?"

"As you were last night."

The minister was silent, striving confusedly to take in the situation.
Outside the crowd was cheering again. It was probably to pass the time.

"Then, when was he murdered?"

"Immediately afterward."