I was busy with a lady, who was worrying me about a train to Montclair.

She was five minutes making up her mind whether to take the Jersey tunnel or the 23rd Street ferry." "The only other person, beside Curtis, who saw the whole affair was the hall-porter ?" "I guess that's so." "Call him into the office." Questioned anew, the hall-porter was positive about everything except Curtis's connection with the attack.

The reporters had scalped him, metaphorically speaking, and his brain was seething.

He said "No" when he meant "Yes," and "Yes" for "No," and contradicted himself in each fresh version of the cataclasm which had seared his sky with lightning.
Steingall ultimately gave him up as hopeless that night.

Perhaps, next morning, when he had slept and eaten, he might become sane again.
"It's an odd thing that Curtis should have wandered away in this fashion, wearing a strange overcoat," mused the detective aloud.
"He must know it," said the police captain meaningly.
"I rather think we must force that door," said Steingall.
The clerk did not understand the reference to the overcoat, but he was ready enough to adopt the detective's suggestion.
"Shall I send for the engineer, and tell him to bring tools ?" he asked.
"There is nothing else for it," admitted Steingall with a shrug.