The story of that night he had already told to Deever and the superintendent.

“Very little, if any,” said Byrnes.

“I passed that night, or supposed that I passed it, at my home,” said the doctor.  “I took an opiate, and seemed to sleep.  But I had dreams of murder and the hiding of dead bodies.  I must have walked.  It was fate.”

“But the wounds upon the body?  How about them?” asked Byrnes.

“They must have been made while he was pounding the body down into the earth,” said Deever, quickly.

Then he turned to Nick.

“You promised me an arrest within the hour,” he said; “now let me have the satisfaction of seeing it formally made.”

“Wait,” said Nick.  “I have yet several minutes; and here is the witness, John Flint.”

The man was brought in as Nick spoke.  He seemed to be somewhat alarmed.

“What’s wanted?” he said.

“Only a little formality,” said Nick.  “As you do not wish to appear in court, we desire to take your sworn testimony at this time.”

The sweat stood out on Flint’s forehead, but when the proper arrangements had been made, he took the oath and told his story.

“And now, Dr. Jarvis,” said Nick, “it is my very agreeable duty to recommend that you be discharged from custody.”

“What!” cried Jarvis and Deever in the same breath.

“Superintendent Byrnes, I appeal to you,” Deever exclaimed.

The face of the superintendent was perfectly calm.

“The case is in Mr. Colton’s hands,” he said, simply.

“What did you mean, you villain,” cried Deever, turning to Nick, “by talking about an arrest?”

“I will keep my promise,” said Nick.  “I will keep it doubly.  There is yet one minute of the hour.  I arrest you, John Flint, for perjury, and you, Lawrence Deever, for the subornation of perjury.”

CHAPTER IX.

The other side of A “Plain case.”

As may readily be supposed, the emotions excited in the various persons present differed widely.

But of the two who rejoiced, it is hard to say that Chick was second to Dr. Jarvis.  The smile which settled down upon Chick’s face was beautiful to behold.  He was the image of satisfaction.

“I had it right,” he said, and hugged himself.

The doctor in the meanwhile sat in a sort of delightful trance.  Just what had happened he could not have told anybody, but he perceived that he had sailed out of all his difficulties.

Flint and Deever, of course, protested loudly, but the superintendent promptly “shut them up.”

“Don’t you dare to say a word, either of you, till I hear the inside of this whole case,” said he.

“It is one of the finest examples of the dangers of circumstantial evidence that I ever saw,” said Nick.  “No jury that ever sat in the box would hesitate a moment to convict Dr. Jarvis, yet he is entirely innocent.