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"I don't see how he is to get it," said I

"Neither do I," Thorndyke adants; it is assuo to law Of course, if we knew the ht be able to help him; but, for all we know to the contrary, he e conversation that I had overheard, and wondered what Thorndyke would have thought of it if it had been allowable for me to repeat it Obviously it was not, however, and I could only give my own impressions

"He doesn't strike me as that," I said; "but, of course, one never knows Personally, he impressed me rather favourably, which is more than the other man did"

"What other man?" asked Thorndyke

"There was another et his name I saw him at the house and didn'tsoha us," said Jervis "Let us look up the report and see who this stranger is" He took down fros and laid it on the table

"You see," said he, as he ran his finger down the index, "Thorndyke files all the cases that are likely to co this one I fancy he had soht turn up in somebody's dust-bin Here we are; the other man's name is Hurst He is apparently a cousin, and it was at his house that thein the lanced over the report

"That isabout it"

"Well," said Thorndyke, "if you should learn what is being done and should have permission to speak of it, I shall be very interested to hear how the case progresses; and if an unofficial opinion on any point would be of service, I think there would be no harreat value if the other parties are taking professional advice," I said; and then, after a pause, I asked: "Have you given this case much consideration?"

Thorndyke reflected "No," he said, "I can't say that I have I turned it over rather carefully when the report first appeared, and I have speculated on it occasionally since It isyou, to utilise odd moments of leisure (such as a railway journey, for instance) by constructing theories to account for the facts of such obscure cases as have come to my notice It is a useful habit, I think, for, apart froains from it, an appreciable proportion of these cases ultimately come into my hands, and then the previous consideration of theained"