"Why? Because I let you pull the wool over my eyes. I didn't realize until this minute that you were behind it all."
"Be reasonable. You flunked two courses besides mine last semester."
"Yes, because you dropped dirty hints. Poisoned everyone's mind against me."
"And you mean to tell me you only realized it now?"
"Yes, I do. It just came to me in a flash as I was thinking here. I saw your whole slimy plot. Oh, you were clever all right, but let me tell you, Saylor—"
The voice ranted on. Twice his "But what possible motive could I—" went disregarded. With a distasteful grimace he hung up.
He felt suddenly very tired. There was an unpleasant coincidence tangled up in the events of the past few minutes, if you bothered to figure it out, but a scientist ought to have a healthy disregard for coincidences.
He put the screen in front of the fire and went to bed.
II.