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"Italian! Why----" Suddenly a vision of the woman with the Italian name, Tochatti, Mrs Carstairs' personal attendant, flashed into Anstice's rew still keener in expression as he noted the eager tone in his visitor's voice

"Well?" As Anstice paused the expert spoke quickly "Does the suggestion convey anything to your mind?"

"Yes," said Anstice "It does But the only Italian--or half-Italian--person I knooman, by the way, is absolutely the last one I could suspect in the lasses once more and stared with his brilliant eyes at the other enerally the last person to be suspected who turns out to be the one responsible Of course I don't know the facts of the case, and estions are therefore of little practical value At the same time the very fact that you are able at once to identify an Italian in the case----"

"She is not altogether Italian," said Anstice slowly "She's a half-breed, so to speak--and I really can't in fairness suspect her, devoted as she is to Mrs Carstairs----"

He broke off abruptly, annoyed with hi betrayed so much; but Clive's manner suddenly becaain, and handed his cigarette case to his visitor "May I be frank with you?"

"Certainly" He accepted a cigarette and Clive resu that the first letter is one of those supposed--by some people--to have been written by Mrs Carstairs, wife of Major Carstairs of the Indian Army?"

"Yes" It would have been folly to deny the correctness of the assumption

"Well, I was not professionally interested in the case, but all along I have had very grave doubts as to the course of justice in that unhappy affair And I have always thought the sentence was unjustifiably severe"

Anstice's face cleared, and his lad to hear you say so," he said heartily "For my own part I am perfectly convinced Mrs Carstairs was absolutely innocent in the e of her acquaintance, and it would be quite i an action"

"Just so" For a second the expert wondered whether Dr Anstice's interest in Mrs Carstairs arose from a purely personal dislike to see an innocent wo; but after all it was no concern of his, and he dismissed that aspect of the case from his mind for the present "But I should like to ask you to explain one thing to me Would it have been possible for this Italian woman of whoather that it is not altogether ih I daresay improbable, for her to be connected with this last one; but of course, if she must be acquitted of any hand in the first, the clue drops to the ground at once"