they aren't going to mean much. They sometimes don't. ' We shall have to get at the feellngs. Have to know why. What drives each of them. Those are, to my mind, the important things and are more likely to tell us the truth about this. But we'll clear away these times and opportunities and possibilities first. Let's leave the fallen lamp that so fortunately didn't hit you—'
'Thanks to Fred,' said Innes graciously.
'—and go on to the second attempt or accident. The detour sign across the road at the bottom of the hill was moved. Now, you tell me that all three sisters were out of doors earlier that evening?' '
'Yes.'
'And Isabel, rather suspiciously, went in person to fetch a woman who has a telephone.'
'Yes.'
'Susan Innes says people do forget her new telephone. Isabel may have forgotten.''
'Maybe,' said Alice. '
'But here we come upon the significance of Gertrude's blmdness. This was a crime that was done by sight Being blind, she wouldn't have known anything about that sign, its meaning; nor would she probably have been able to find it and place it in another more or less logical position. Not without eyes.'
'The dark wouldn't bother her,' murmured Fred.
Duff said, 'No. But this was a deed that required some light. To read, to understand, to replace. However, Maud, too, puzzles us. She couldn't have overheard you speak of the route you were planning to take.'
'Maybe somebody told her afterward,' suggested Alice.
'Who heard? Mr. Johnson?'
'Sure. He was the one I asked about it.'
'Um,' said Duff. 'You don't, I suppose, know whether they were together after that?'
'No.'
'I didn't see hide nor hair of Mr. Johnson that evening,' said Fred wonderingly. 'After that'
'But Isabel could have done it?'
''I don't see why not, do you?' said Alice.
'No, I don't see why not,' Duff agreed. 'Then we have attempt number one, the lamp. Not Maud, Possibly Gertrude. Possibly Isabel. We have attempt number two, the detour sign. Not Gertrude. Possibly Maud. Possibly Isabel.'
'Unless . . .'' began Fred.
'Of course,' Duff took up the unspoken doubt, ''unless Maud's not deaf. Unless Gertrude can see.'
'But for God's sake!' cried Innes.
'You realize we must be sure.'
'But for years . . .'
'Your sisters may not be totally blind or totally deaf or even totally cripples,' said Duff. 'A litde sight, a little hearing, a little use of the right arm, might damage these particular conclusions.'
'Go on,' said Innes. He leaned back, but he looked pale.
15
Duff said thoughtfully, 'It will be hard to be sure. But we must try. You see, sometimes you can get at a clear and true picture of what happened by the facts of physical possibilities, by logic, and by elimination. Sometimes you can get at the same truth by a careful reading of character and the facts of character, which are true facts, of course, and solid facts; but so difficult to demonstrate that the use of them nearly always passes for intuition. Sometimes you can get at the truth both ways, and the coincidence of two kinds of facts checks and double checks your conclusion. We are now trying to fish out of confusion a few physical facts that we can believe and use to go on. Please don't be discouraged if they show no pattern. .We still have another whole class of facts to check them by.
'Let's look at attempt number three, the one made on your life last night.'
'No accident,' said Fred.
'I agree with you,' said Duff. 'This, at least, was really such an attempt. But we know almost nothing about it yet. How about opportunity? Where was everybody?'
Alice began, 'Fred and I were in here with Innes, nearly all the time, until a few minutes after eleven. I got to bed about eleven ten. I must have slept for a while. About twelve, something woke me up. There was a storm, wind and rain.'
'Let's find out the disposition of all of you until then,' said Duff. 'You went to sleep promptly, Mr. Whidock?'
'Oh, yes. It was the pill, I guess. I was pretty much on edge, and I didn't think I'd sleep, but I did. I didn't wake at all until after the doctor was here. Everybody was in here by the time I woke up.' Innes pouted as if he'd been left out of a party.
'Are these your pills?' Duff picked up the box.
'Yes.'
'Well, Fred?'
