“Henry, what in the name of all that is holy, is an Ichtus Fillari?” asked Judge.
“I am not exactly sure myself,” replied Henry soberly. “It must have been a fish.”
“Have you ever seen one, Henry?”
“Judge, I give you my word, I never even heard of one before.”
“You—you made that name up, sir?”
“I believe I did, Judge. I feel that it is possible to create a fossil fish that even an archaeologist hasn’t found yet.”
“Hm-m-m-m,” hummed Judge thoughtfully. “I had no idea you had ever studied such things. Palaeozoic and Mesozoic rocks. Your knowledge amazes me, Henry. I wonder what Professor Fossil thinks of your—shall we say, knowledge of archaeology?”
“It might be rather interesting to know,” said Henry quietly. “Somewhere, sometime I read an article on prehistoric rocks. The names of the Palaeozoic and the Mesozoic came to mind, and I used them in the right spot, it seems. Hm-m-m-m-m. I seem to remember something—”
“It is my opinion,” remarked Judge, “that if you have any urge of concentration, you might well try thinking of something that will clear up the local crime situation. What happened a million years ago will have little bearing on high-grading and murder.”
“Perhaps you are right, Judge. Ah, there is the dinner-bell. I jump from the Palaeozoic to—well, to hash.”