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Before he went to bed on the night of Carey's visit to him Anstice wrote a letter to the expert reco whether an appoint Friday afternoon; and on Thursday night a laconic telegraested interview
It had seemed to Anstice that a personal intervieith the expert would be far ed correspondence; and he hurried through his work on Friday ht the noon express to London with athe quick journey to town he pored over the two speci up for examination until he was more than ever convinced that both ritten by the sa expert, had a flat in Lincoln's Inn; and thither Anstice hastened in a taxi, arriving just as the clocks of London were striking three; a feat in punctuality which possibly accounted for the pleasant sreeted his visitor
The expert was a tall and thin person, with deep-set and brilliant eyes hidden lasses; and Anstice was suddenly and humorously reminded of the popular idea of a detective as exemplified in Sherlock Holmes and his accomplished brethren
When he smiled Mr Clive lost his somewhat austere expression; and as Anstice obeyed his invitation to enter his sitting-rooht person ho letters
"Now, Dr Anstice" Clive pushed forward a chair for his visitor and sank into another one hier-tips in a ain reminded Anstice involuntarily of the super-detective "I expect your time is as valuable as mine--probably ather you have so to submit to me?"
"Yes I have two letters to show you" He drew them carefully from his notebook "What I want to know is, whether they were both written by the same hand or not"
Mr Clive unlaced his finger-tips and took the papers carefully from his visitor; after which, rather to Anstice's alasses and proceeded to study the letters without their aid
For several minutes he pored over them in silence, the letters spread out on the table before hi of the inscrutable expression on his face Presently he rose, went to a little cabinet at the end of the roolass, hose aid he made a further study of the two doculasses and turned to Anstice with a smile