refused, I understand, to
favor Mr. Avery with an explanation of it; do you wish to give one now?"

"No," said Eaton.

"It has, of course, been deciphered," the blind man went on calmly.
"The fact that it was based upon your pocket English-Chinese dictionary
as a word-book was early suggested; the deciphering from that was
simply a trial of some score of ordinary enigma plans, until the
meaning appeared."

Eaton made no comment. Santoine went on:

"And that very interesting meaning presented another possible
explanation--not as to your taking the train, for as to that there can
be only the four I mentioned--but as to the attack itself, which would
exonerate you from participation in it. It is because of this that I
am treating you with the consideration I do. If that explanation were
correct, you would--"

"What?"

"You would have had nothing to do with the attack, and yet you would
know who made it."

At this, Eaton stared at the blind man and wet his lips.

"What do you mean?" he said.

Santoine did not reply to the question. "What have you been doing
yesterday and to-day?" he asked.

"Waiting," Eaton answered.

"For what?"

"For the railroad people to turn me over to the police."

"So I understood. That is why I asked you. I don't believe in
cat-and-mouse methods, Mr. Eaton; so I am willing to tell you that
there is no likelihood of your being turned over to the police
immediately. I have taken this matter out of the hands of the railroad
people. We live in a complex world, Mr. Eaton, and I am in the most
complex current of it. I certainly shall not allow the publicity of a
police examination of you to publish the fact that I have been attacked
so soon after the successful attack upon Mr. Warden--and in a similar
manner--until I know more about both attacks and about you--why you
came to see Warden that night and how, after failing to see him alive,
you followed me, and whether that fact led to the attempt at my life."

Eaton started to speak, and then stopped.

"What were you going to say?" Santoine urged.

"I will not say it," Eaton refused.

"However, I think I understand your impulse. You were about to remind
me that there has been nothing to implicate you in any guilty
connection with the murder of Mr. Warden. I do not now charge that."

He hesitated; then, suddenly lost in thought, as some new suggestion
seemed to come to him which he desired to explain alone, he motioned
wi