As Dr. Maudsley entered Kennedy greeted him and began by plunging directly into the case in answer to his rather discourteous inquiry as to why he had been so hastily summoned.

“Dr. Maudsley,” said Craig, “I have asked you to call alone because, while I am on the verge of discovering the truth in an important case affecting Morton Hazleton and his wife, I am frankly perplexed as to how to go ahead.”

The doctor seemed to shake with excitement as Kennedy proceeded.

“Dr. Maudsley,” Craig added, dropping his voice, “is Morton III the son of Millicent Hazleton or not?  You were the physician in attendance on her at the birth.  Is he?”

Maudsley had been watching Kennedy furtively at first, but as he rapped out the words I thought the doctor’s eyes would pop out of his head.  Perspiration in great beads collected on his face.

“P—­professor K—­Kennedy,” he muttered, frantically rubbing his face and lower jaw as if to compose the agitation he could so ill conceal, “let me explain.”

“Yes, yes—­go on,” urged Kennedy.

“Mrs. Hazleton’s baby was born—­dead.  I knew how much she and the rest of the family had longed for an heir, how much it meant.  And I—­substituted for the dead child a newborn baby from the maternity hospital.  It—­it belonged to Veronica Haversham—­then a poor chorus girl.  I did not intend that she should ever know it.  I intended that she should think her baby was dead.  But in some way she found out.  Since then she has become a famous beauty, has numbered among her friends even Hazleton himself.  For nearly two years I have tried to keep her from divulging the secret.  From time to time hints of it have leaked out.  I knew that if Hazleton with his infatuation of her were to learn—–­” “And Mrs. Hazleton, has she been told?” interrupted Kennedy.

“I have been trying to keep it from her as long as I can, but it has been difficult to keep Veronica from telling it.  Hazleton himself was so wild over her.  And she wanted her son as she—–­”

“Maudsley,” snapped out Kennedy, slapping down on the table the mass of prints and charts which he had hurriedly collected and was studying, “you lie!  Morton is Millicent Hazleton’s son.  The whole story is blackmail.  I knew it when she told me of her dreams and I suspected first some such devilish scheme as yours.  Now I know it scientifically.”

He turned over the prints.

“I suppose that study of these prints, Maudsley, will convey nothing to you.  I know that it is usually stated that there are no two sets of finger prints in the world that are identical or that can be confused.  Still, there are certain similarities of finger prints and other characteristics, and these similarities have recently been exhaustively studied by Bertilion, who has found that there are clear relationships sometimes between mother and child in these respects.  If Solomon were alive, doctor, he would not now have to resort to the expedient to which he did when the two women disputed over the right to the living child.  Modern science is now deciding by exact laboratory methods the same problem as he solved by his unique knowledge of feminine psychology.