He paused, coming to a standstill in the middle of the room, to see what effect his words had had on Ransom.

“I have that man’s name,” he continued, “and can produce him if I have time and it seems to be necessary.  But I had rather come to my own decision without any outside interference.  This is not an affair for public gossip or newspaper notoriety.  It is a question of justice to myself.  If this girl is Georgian—­” His whole face changed.  For a moment Ransom hardly knew him.  The quiet, self-contained man seemed to have given way to one of such unexpected power and threat that Ransom rose instinctively to his feet in recognition of a superiority he could no longer deny.

The action seemed to recall Hazen to himself.  He wheeled about and recommenced his quiet pacing to and fro.

“I beg pardon,” he quietly finished.  “If it is Georgian, she must stand my friend.  That is all I was going to say.  If it is, against all reason and probability, her strangely restored twin, I shall leave this house by midnight, never probably to see any of you again.  So you perceive that it is incumbent upon us to work promptly.  Are you ready to hear what I have to propose?”

“Yes.”

Hazen paused again, this time in front of the door.  Laying his hand lightly on one of the panels, he glanced back at Ransom.

“You are nicely placed here for observation.  Your door directly faces the hall she must traverse in returning to her room.”

“That’s quite true.”

“She’s in her room now.  Ah, you know that?”

“Yes.”  Ransom seemed to have no other word at his command.

“Will she come out again before night to eat or to visit?”

“There’s no telling.  She’s very fitful.  No one can prophesy what she will do.  Sometimes she eats in the landlady’s room, sometimes in her own, sometimes not at all.  If you have frightened her, or she has been disturbed in any way by your companion who shows such interest in her and in me, she probably will not come out at all.”

“But she must.  I expect you to see that she does.  Use any messenger, any artifice, but get her away from this hall for ten minutes, even if it is only into Mrs. Deo’s room.  When she returns I shall be on my knees before this keyhole to watch her and observe.  To see what, I do not mean to tell you, but it will be something which will definitely settle for me this matter of identity.  Does this plan look sufficiently harmless to meet with your approval?”

“Yes, but looks cannot always be trusted.  I must know just what you mean to do.  I will leave nothing to a mind and hand I do not trust any more fully than I do yours.  You are too eager for Georgian’s money; too little interested in herself; and you are too sly in your ways.  I overlooked this when you had the excuse of a possible distrust of myself.  But now that your confidence is restored in me, now that you recognize the fact that I stand outside of this whole puzzling affair and have no other wish than to know the truth about it and do my duty to all parties concerned, secrecy on your part means more than I care to state.  If you persist in it I shall lend myself to nothing that you propose, but wait for time to substantiate her claim or prove its entire falsity.”