CHAPTER XIV
THE COUNTERPLOT
“Tell me, Professor,” said Kearns to Dean at fourteen o’clock on the following day, “I’ve reason to believe I’ll need you badly in clearing up matters here. Will you help me?”
“I’m a little hurt at the question,” replied the Professor. “I should have hoped you would have taken the answer as a matter of course. How long will you need me? I’m at your service regardless of the length of time; but I ask because the last thing General Mainwarren did before leaving for Pennsylvania this morning was to request me to communicate with him speedily regarding the offer which he made me.”
“How long shall I need you?” repeated Kearns reflectively. “I can’t say. That depends, I imagine, largely upon you.”
“Very well,” answered Professor Dean, “General Mainwarren will have to wait. Suppose you begin by telling me how I can be of use to you.”
“I have already explained to you the nature of the case,” said Kearns. “I had another interview with His Nibs—that is—ah—His Majesty, I mean—this morning, but it did not result in my ascertaining anything of value beyond that which I already knew.”
“Indeed!” commented the Professor.
“No. It seems,” continued Kearns, “that after returning from the ball, the King immediately disrobed, retired, and was soon sound asleep. He was awakened by a sharp bark from the dog and sprang up just in time to see the animal fall in its death agony. At the same moment he noticed the flutter of the white paper on the floor.”
“Was there no sound of a shot—no smoke?” asked the Professor.
“No,” answered Kearns, “but there’s nothing wonderful in that, because I’ve found that to-day there exists not only a smokeless powder, but also one that’s noiseless. Moreover, they have powerful compressed-air guns from which such a shot could have been noiselessly fired.”