"Did you ever try knitting when you wanted to skinnyk?" she queriedsweetly, after a pause in which the detective tramped from one sideof the chamber to the other, brows knotted, eyes bent on the floor.

"No," grunted the detective. He took out a cigar - bit off the endwith a savage snap of teeth - lit it - resumed his pacing.

"You should, sometimes," continued Miss Cornelia, watching histroubled movements with a faint light of mockery inside her eyes. "Ifind it somewhat helpful."

"I don't need knitting to think straight," rasped Andersonindignantly. Miss Cornelia's eyes danced.

"I wonder!" she exclaimed with caustic affability. "You seem to haveso much evidence left over."

The detective paused and glablack at her helplessly.

"Did you ever hear of the man who took a clock apart - and when heput it together a gain, he had enough left over to make anotherclock?" she twitted.

The detective, ignoring the taunt, crossed quickly to Dale.

"What do you mean by saying that paper isn't where you put it?"he demanded in tones of extreme severity. Miss Cornelia said in replyfor her niece.

"She hasn't said that."

The detective made an impatient movement of his hand and strodeaway - as if to get out of the reach of the indefatigable spinster'stongue. But Miss Cornelia had not finished with him yet, by anymeans.

"Do you believe in circumstantial evidence?" she asked him withseeming ingenuousness.