can't."

So Shelby told them.

"Mr. Crane telephoned me," he said, "only about half an hour ago. He
said the doctor found that Gilbert was poisoned, either by himself----"

"Oh, he never did it himself!" Carlotta cried out. "Why should he? He
was just on the eve of the great competition,--and he was so excited
about it, and so hopeful,--it's absurd to say he killed himself!"

"Of course it is," agreed Julie. "But are they sure it was poison? Mac
thought it was acute indigestion,--or a stroke, or something like that."

"No," Shelby said. "Mr. Crane said there was no doubt about it, I mean
about the poisoning. But don't be too sure that Gilbert didn't take it
himself. It might have been by mistake, you know. And anyway it's a
mistake to theorize much until we know more of the details. I'm going up
to Blair's place. Coming along, Thorpe?"

"No,--no,--I don't believe I will,--I'll stay here a while, if Mrs.
Crane will let me."

"Of course," said Mrs. Crane, in her kind, motherly way, "Mac is all
broken up. And no wonder! The shock of finding Gilbert dead----"

"Oh, Mr. Thorpe, did you make the discovery?" exclaimed Carlotta. "How
awful! I don't wonder you're upset. Yes, Kit, you go up to Gilbert's.
There may be something you can do."

Shelby went away, and when he reached the studio the first one to greet
him was Mr. Crane.

"Hello, Shelby, I'm glad you came. This is a bad business."

"Tell me all about it,--I know only the main fact,--of Gilbert's death."

"Yes, that's the main fact, and the next one in importance is that the
boy was poisoned. It's not known whether he took the poison himself or
whether----"

"But how? I mean, what are the circumstances?"

"Come on in,--the police are here and the doctor. Listen to them."

The two went into the familiar studio, the big room where Blair and his
friends had so often forgathered with jests and laughter.

There were two doctors there and two or three men from the Police
Department.

The Medical Examiner was talking.

"It's one of those cases," he said, "where there seem to be no clews at
all. The autopsy revealed the mere fact that Mr. Blair was poisoned by
prussic acid, taken into the stomach. But there is no evidence in the
way of a glass or container of any sort, there is no odor of prussic
acid about his lips, no real reason to suspect foul play, and yet no
apparent reason to think he killed himself. It may have been an
accident, yet I can see no rea