“And what is the evidence against him?”
Again the superintendent looked doubtful and again relented.
“Why, the case is as clear as—as cold Scotch,” he said (here Thorndyke in illustration of this figure of speech produced a decanter, a syphon and a tumbler, which he pushed towards the officer). “You see, sir, the silly fool went and stuck his sweaty hand on the window; and there we found the marks—four fingers and a thumb, as beautiful prints as you could wish to see. Of course we cut out the piece of glass and took it up to the Finger-print Department; they turned up their files and out came Mr. Belfield’s record, with his finger-prints and photograph all complete.”
“And the finger-prints on the window-pane were identical with those on the prison form?”
“Identical.”
“H’m!” Thorndyke reflected for a while, and the superintendent watched him foxily over the edge of his tumbler.
“I guess you are retained to defend Belfield,” the latter observed presently.
“To look into the case generally,” replied Thorndyke.
“And I expect you know where the beggar is hiding,” continued the detective.
“Belfield’s address has not yet been communicated to me,” said Thorndyke. “I am merely to investigate the case—and there is no reason, Miller, why you and I should be at cross purposes. We are both working at the case; you want to get a conviction and you want to convict the right man.”