t
to cry out that he could lay hands on him then and there. The unspoken
words were gulped down, and a simple repetition substituted at the last.

"I could swear to him myself," added Langholm. "It remains to be seen
whether there is evidence enough to convict."

"Have you communicated with the police?"

"Not yet."

"They seem to have some absurd bee in their helmet down here, you know."

"They don't get it from me."

It was impossible any longer to doubt the import of Langholm's earnest
and rather agitated manner. He was doing his best to suppress his
agitation, but that strengthened the impression that he had indeed
discovered something which he himself honestly believed to be the truth.
There was an immediate alteration in the tone and bearing of his host.

"My dear fellow," he said, "forgive my levity. If you have really found
out anything, it is a miracle; but miracles do happen now and then.
Here's the pond, and there's the boathouse behind those rhododendrons.
Suppose you tell me the rest in the boat? We needn't keep looking over
our shoulders in the middle of the pond!"

For an instant Langholm dreamt of the readiest and the vilest resource;
in another he remembered, not only that he could swim, but the insidious
sympathy for this man which a darker scoundrel had sown in his heart. It
had grown there like Jonah's gourd; only his flippancy affected it; and
Steel was far from flippant now. Langholm signed to him to lead the way,
and in a very few minutes they were scaring the wildfowl in mid-water,
Steel sculling from the after thwart, while Langholm faced him from the
crimson cushions.

"I thought," said the latter, "that I would like to tell you what sort
of evidence I could get against him before--before going any further.
I--I thought it would be fair."

Steel raised his bushy eyebrows the fraction of an inch. "It would be
fairest to yourself, I agree. Two heads are better than one, and--well,
I'm open to conviction still, of course."

But even Langholm was not conscious of the sinister play upon words; he
had taken out his pocket-book, and was nervously turning to the leaves
that he had filled during his most sleepless night in town.

"Got it all down?" said Steel.

"Yes," replied Langholm, without raising his eyes; "at least I did make
some notes of a possible--if not a really damning--case against the man
I mean."

"And what may the first point be?" inquired Steel, who was gradually
drifti