nge personality of my
gifted friend and the singular fitness that he presented for the part he
had chosen to play in the drama of social life; but presently my
thoughts returned to the peril that overshadowed him, and I came back,
once more, to my original question.

"And now, Thorndyke," I said, "that you have penetrated both the motives
and the disguise of this villain, what are you going to do? Is he to be
put safely under lock and key, or is he to be left in peace and security
to plan some other, and perhaps more successful, scheme for your
destruction?"

"For the present," replied Thorndyke, "I am going to put these things in
a place of safety. To-morrow you shall come with me to the hospital and
see me place the ends of the cigar in the custody of Dr. Chandler, who
will make an analysis and report on the nature of the poison. After that
we shall act in whatever way seems best."

Unsatisfactory as this conclusion appeared, I knew it was useless to
raise further objections, and, accordingly, when the cigar with its
accompanying papers and wrappings had been deposited in a drawer, we
dismissed it, if not from our thoughts, at least from our conversation.

CHAPTER XIV

A STARTLING DISCOVERY

The morning of the trial, so long looked forward to, had at length
arrived, and the train of events which it has been my business to
chronicle in this narrative was now fast drawing to an end. To me those
events had been in many ways of the deepest moment. Not only had they
transported me from a life of monotonous drudgery into one charged with
novelty and dramatic interest; not only had they introduced me to a
renascence of scientific culture and revived under new conditions my
intimacy with the comrade of my student days; but, far more momentous
than any of these, they had given me the vision--all too fleeting--of
happiness untold, with the reality of sorrow and bitter regret that
promised to be all too enduring.

Whence it happened that on this morning my thoughts were tinged with a
certain greyness. A chapter in my life that had been both bitter and
sweet was closing, and already I saw myself once more an Ishmaelite and
a wanderer among strangers.

This rather egotistical frame of mind, however, was soon dispelled when
I encountered Polton, for the little man was in a veritable twitter of
excitement at the prospect of witnessing the clearing up of the
mysteries that had so severely tried his curiosity; and ev