"Exactly; I have seen it there." "It was blunt and rusty--a mere toy knife--not at all the sort of weapon a man would make use of who designed to commit a deliberate murder.

The crime, if there WAS a crime (which we do not admit), must therefore have been wholly unpremeditated." I bowed my head.

"For us who knew Hugo that goes without saying." She leaned forward eagerly.

"Dr.Sebastian has pointed out to me a line of defence which would probably succeed--if we could only induce poor Hugo to adopt it.

He has examined the blade and scabbard, and finds that the dagger fits its sheath very tight, so that it can only be withdrawn with considerable violence.