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he have been caught? That was the train he always came back by on Saturdays."

"I don't think he would have escaped," said Carmichael. "Truth will out⁠—there's a lot in the old saying. By the way, I wonder if either of you know the origin of the phrase magna est veritas et prævalebit, or rather prævalet, to give the exact form?"

"We'll buy it," said Gordon.

"Actually it comes from the third book of Esdras. That's a thing ninety-nine people out of a hundred don't know. But what was I saying? Oh, yes, it's extraordinary how criminals don't escape. If you come to think of it, we were close on the track of our man the whole time."

"There," said Gordon, "I can't agree with you. Up to a certain point we were on the right track. Then you came and confused all the tracks with your 'Davenant-is-Brotherhood' slogan. After that we were at a loss⁠—or rather, it was worse than that, we were definitely off the true scent, although the man himself was within a few yards of us. It was only because he came out of his hiding-place and disturbed Reeves' papers⁠—a sheer accident, from our point of view⁠—that we were able to start again. Now, your ideal detective is never dependent upon an accident."

"Well, don't rub it in," suggested Reeves. "After all, we are both of us as much to blame, because we swallowed Carmichael's theory like lambs."