are all so fond of Mr. Thorpe that we can scarcely bring ourselves to
believe ill of him----"

"But if he is a criminal, we want to know it," her husband interrupted
her. "Mr. Thorpe is engaged to my daughter, and if he is an innocent
man, I want it made clear to the world. If not, then, of course, the
engagement must be broken."

"He _is_ an innocent man," Zizi said, quietly.

"Oh, you darling!" cried Julie, running across the room to embrace her.
"How do you know?"

"By that letter," and Zizi pointed to the note from Peter, which she had
been scrutinizing and comparing with some old letters of Peter's.

"You think it isn't from my brother?"

"I know it isn't. I've made a study of handwriting, and whoever wrote
that wrote it in imitation of your brother's writing. I mean the writer
was disguising his own hand and imitating your brother's."

"How can you tell? They are very much alike."

"That's just it. The salient points are imitated, the long terminal
strokes, the peculiarities of the capitals, but the less conspicuous
details, such as slant and spacing, are not so carefully copied. It is a
forgery, and though well done enough to deceive the average observer, it
would not deceive an expert."

"What a lot you know!" and Julie looked at the other girl in surprised
admiration.

"'Course I do. It's my business to know things. Am I right about this,
Penny Wise?"

"Yes," he said, smiling at her. "I thought you'd see it. Moreover, Mr.
Crane, this note was written by a man, or by a person capable of deep,
even venomous hatred. If, as may well be the case, it was written by
the murderer of Mr. Blair, and with an intent to throw suspicion on Mr.
Thorpe, then we must look for a criminal of great cleverness and of
patience and perseverance in the workings of his nefarious plans. I mean
a nature of inborn evil, capable of premeditated wrong. This murder of
Gilbert Blair was no impulsive or suddenly brought about job. It was
carefully planned and carefully carried out. If you will show me some of
Mr. Thorpe's writing I will tell you if he forged this note."

"No, he did not," Wise asserted, after a study of a letter of Thorpe's,
which they gave him; "we cannot say this note signed with your son's
name was written by the criminal we're looking for, but we can be sure
it was not written by McClellan Thorpe. You see, Mr. Crane, penmanship
is a very exact science. Some one forged your son's writing, but he or
she was u