“A very cute notion,” declared Peter.  “We’ll rope you in, Giuseppe.  Between you and me and the post, our friend Brendon has been barking up the wrong tree, you know.  But if you and I and he, together, can’t clean this up, then we’re not the men I take us for.”

Doria laughed.

“‘Deeds are men; words are women,’” he said.  “There has been too much chatter about this; but now you are come; we shall see things accomplished.”

It was not until after the midday meal that Ganns and Mark were able to get speech together.  Then, promising to return in time to meet Virgilio Poggi, who would cross the lake for tea, the two men sauntered beside Como and exchanged experiences.  The interview proved painful to the younger, for he found that Peter’s doubts were cleared in certain directions.  Brendon, indeed, led up to his own chastening very directly.

“It makes me mad,” he said, “to see the way that beggar treats his wife—­Doria I mean.  Pearls before swine.  I never hoped much from it; but to think they have only been married three months!’’

“How does he treat her?”

“Well, one isn’t blind to her appearance.  The cause is, of course, concealed; the effect, very visible to my eyes.  She’s far too plucky to whisper her troubles; but she can’t hide her face, where they may be read.”

Mr. Ganns said nothing and Mark spoke again.

“Do you begin to see any light?”

“Not much upon the main problem.  A minor feature has cleared, however.  I know the rock you split upon, my son.  You were in love with Jenny Pendean from the moment you knew that she was a widow.  And you’re in love with Jenny Doria now.  And to be in love with one of the principals in a case, is to handicap yourself out of the hunt, as far as that case is concerned.”

Brendon stared but made no answer.

“Human nature has its limits, Mark, and love’s a pretty radical passion.  No man ever did, or could, do himself justice in any task whatever—­not while he was blinded with love of a woman.  Love’s a jealous party and won’t stand competitors.  So it follows that if you were in love anyway you wouldn’t be at your best; and how much more so when the lady in your case was the lady in the case?”

“You wrong me,” answered the other rather hotly.  “That is really unreasonable.  Emphatically the incident made no sort of difference, for the very good reason that she was not in the case, save as an innocent sufferer from the evil actions of others.  She helped me rather than hindered me.  Despite all she was called to endure, she kept her nerve from the first and fought her own grief that she might make everything clear to me.  If I did come to love her, that made no sort of difference to my attitude to my work.”

“But it made a mighty lot of difference to your attitude to her.  However, your word runs with me, Mark, and I’m very willing to attach all due importance to your conclusions.  But I am not in the least willing to accept your estimate of anybody’s character without further proofs.  You mustn’t feel it personal.  Only remember that I’m not in this case for my health, and, so far, I have had no reason whatever to eliminate anybody.”