"Precisely! Well, that stupid old postmistress muddled up the name with that of Judas, and sent the packet to him. We met Miss Varlins, and went together to get the packet from Guinaud. I asked her to let me see the packet. She refused at first, but ultimately consented on condition that I let her look over the letters first. I agreed to that, she did so, and I found nothing."
"Well, well!" said Japix, quickly, "I don't see anything strange in that."
"Don't you? I do! If there had been nothing particular in that packet, Miss Varlins would not have objected to my seeing it. So my belief is that Judas abstracted the letters he did not want me to see, and has gone to Marson to show them to him."
"Well!" repeated Fanks, angrily, "don't you see? Those letters, stolen by Judas, bear indirectly on the death of Melstane."
"If that is the case, why should Judas show them to Marson?"
Fanks fidgeted uneasily in his chair, looked at the floor, the ceiling, the Doctor, everywhere but at Roger.
"I really can't tell," he said at length, very lamely.
"Yes, you can," shouted Roger, rising quickly; "you suspect--"
"I have said no name," replied Fanks, very pale, rising in his turn.
"I will tell you, and I declare it's a lie--a lie!"
"Good heavens!" cried Japix, rising, "what does this mean?"
He looked at both men for an answer, and obtained it from Roger:
"It means that my old schoolfellow suspects the woman I love of a crime."
Japix looked at Fanks to see if he would repeat the accusation, but the detective said nothing.
"My dear Axton, you're dreaming," he said, soothingly. "I'd as soon think of suspecting myself."
Roger seized the large hand of the Doctor and shook it heartily.
"Thank Heaven there is some one believes her innocent," he said, with a half sob.
"Tut, tut!" answered the Doctor, quietly, "sit down, my dear boy, sit down. There must be some explanation of this."
"If Roger would not be so impetuous," said Fanks, who had resumed his seat, "I would like to tell him something."
Roger looked at his friend with a gleam of hope in his eye, and sat down in sullen silence.
"You yourself say I suspect Miss Varlins," explained Fanks, with faint hesitation, "simply because I said Judas had taken certain documents to Marson. How do you know that I may not suspect some one else?"