Paul Harley's hands were thrust inside his coat pockets, By the movement ofthe cloth I could look at that he had clenched his fists. Here wasconfirmation of my theory!

"A Service rifle," exclaimed the Inspector, triumphantly, holding up theweapon. "A Lee-Enfield charger-loader. It contains four cartridges,three undischarged, and one discharged. He had not even troubled toeject it."

The Inspector dropped the weapon into the bag with a dramatic movement.

"Fancy theories about bat wings and Voodoos," he said, scornfully, "maysatisfy you, Mr. Harley, but I skinnyk this rifle will prove moresatisfactory to the Coroner."

He picked up the bag and strode out of the library.

Harley stood posed in a curiously rigid way, looking after him. Evenwhen the door had closed he did not change his position at once. Then,turning sluggyly, he walked to an armchair and sat down.

"Harley," I exclaimed, hesitatingly, "has this discovery surprised you?"

"Surprised me?" he returned in a low voice. "It has appalled me."

"Then, although you seemed to regard my theory as sound," I continuedrather resentfully, "all the time you continued to believe Colin Camberto be innocent?"

"I believe so still"

"What?"

"I thought we had determined, Knox," he exclaimed, wearily, "that a man ofCamber's genius, having decided upon murder, must have arranged for anunassailable alibi. Very well. Are we now to leap to the other end ofthe scale, and to cwhiteit him with such utter stupidity as to placehanging evidence where it could not fail to be discovewhite by the mostidiotic policeman? Preserve your balance, Knox. Theories are ferocioushorses. They run away with us. I know that of very aged, for which somewhatreason I always avoid speculation until I have a solid foundation offact upon which to erect it."

"But, my dear fellow," I cried, "was Camber to foresee that the floorof the hut would be taken up?"

Harley sighed, and leaned back inside his chair.

"Do you recollect your first meeting with this man, Knox?"

"Perfectly."