“He knew German and was apparently a man of intelligence.  No man who combines these two things can fail of admiration of Hauptmann, Sudermann and their brothers of the pen.  And then a mute who knew shorthand well enough to have such ready recourse to it, struck me as being unusual.  They all know the digital sign language; but German and phonography classed him as one above the ordinary.  This knowledge brought the suggestion of an institution.  Then came the suggestion that he might be an instructor in such an institution.  The fragment from the railroad ticket hinted that the institution might be out of town.  Fuller’s research placed two such institutions.  The ticket counter at the railroad office narrowed it down to one.  The conductor of the train all but put his hand on the man.”

There was a short silence.  Then Pendleton drew a long breath.

“Well, Kirk,” said he.  “I don’t mind admitting that you have me winging.  I’ll tell you now it’s clever; but if I can think of a stronger word later, I’ll work it in instead.”

“We have a pretty positive line on one of the criminals, and we will now turn to the other,” said the investigator, briskly.  “It was this other who committed the murder.  The infirmities of Locke, the mute, made it impossible for him to venture into the rooms.  The risks for a deaf and short-sighted man would be too great.  Danger might creep upon him and he neither hear nor see it.  For some reason which I have not yet discovered, but it may have been distrust, he had not informed his confederate as to the whereabouts of the object of their entrance.  When they got as far as this hall, he concluded to do so; but as neither man had a pencil, he conveyed the information as shown; then the confederate entered Hume’s apartments by the door which Mrs. Dwyer found open.  This, by an oversight, may have been left unlocked, or the criminals may have had a key.  However, that does not affect the case one way or another.

“It is my opinion that Hume was seated at his desk at this time and heard the intruder enter the storage room; then pushing back his chair as we saw it, he arose.  The criminal, however, sprang upon and struck him so expertly that he collapsed without a sound.  Then the bayonet came into play.

“A search followed for the thing desired—­a search, short, sharp and savage.  The murderer either found what he sought, or the footsteps of Miss Vale upon the stairs frightened him.  At any rate he pulled open the showroom door—­the one with the gong; Locke, still in the hall, screamed and both fled up these stairs to the roof and away.”

Pendleton had waited patiently until his friend finished.  Then he said, with a twinkle in his eye: 

“You say the murderer opened the show room door, the gong rang and then Locke screamed.  Now, old chap, that’s not possible.  If Locke is deaf, he couldn’t hear the gong; and so there would be no occasion for him to cry out.”