"Right here, on the mantel."
Ralston handed it over to Burton, asking in an undertone: "What do you make of it?"
Burton took the paper and examined it, but merely shook his head to escape answering. It did not need a glass to show him that it was written on the same typewriter that had produced the other documents he had examined.
"But it is signed, isn't it?" exclaimed Hadley. "It says Dr. Underwood."
"Of course it is perfectly clear in the first place that Dr. Underwood did not write it, since he would not leave a public confession behind him, and he would not sign his name in that fashion. It is written by some one who wanted to throw suspicion on Dr. Underwood, and who was ignorant enough to think it could be done in this very clumsy way," said Burton.
Some one in the room gave an unpleasant laugh. Selby, who had been standing in the background near Miss Hadley, now spoke up.
"If it wasn't Dr. Underwood himself, I guess it was some one not so very far from him."
"What do you mean?"
"Henry Underwood was in the hall there when I came in. He kept out of sight, but he was there. He stayed until Proctor read that paper aloud. He isn't here now, is he?"
There was a sensation in the room. No one else had seen him, but no one but Selby had stood where he could look into the dimly-lit hall.