"I remembered that you had said last week that the Gray Seal never left finger marks on his work--and I saw one on the seal on Metzer's forehead.

Then, you know, I lifted one corner where the seal overlapped a thread of blood, and, underneath, the thread of blood wasn't in the slightest disturbed; so, of course, I knew the seal had been put on quite a long time after the man was dead--not until the blood had dried thoroughly, to a crust, you know, so that even the damp surface of the sticky side of the seal hadn't affected it.

And then, I took a dislike to Clayton somehow--and put two and two together, and took a flyer in getting him to handle the notebook.

I guess that's all--no other reason on earth.

Jolly lucky, don't you think ?" Carruthers didn't say anything for a moment.