I certainly never noticed him in here; though, of course, that would not mean much, for I was too concerned about poor father, and too much occupied with him, to notice even Silvio." The Doctor shook his head as he said with a certain sadness: "Well, at any rate it is no use trying to prove anything now.

Any cat in the world would have cleaned blood-marks--did any exist--from his paws in a hundredth part of the time that has elapsed." Again we were all silent; and again the silence was broken by Miss Trelawny: "But now that I think of it, it could not have been poor Silvio that injured Father.

My door was shut when I first heard the sound; and Father's was shut when I listened at it.

When I went in, the injury had been done; so that it must have been before Silvio could possibly have got in." This reasoning commended itself, especially to me as a barrister, for it was proof to satisfy a jury.

It gave me a distinct pleasure to have Silvio acquitted of the crime--possibly because he was Miss Trelawny's cat and was loved by her.