"L00k here," he said, "I'nn unpredjudiced and quite calnn, but isn'tthe `nn0ther's nnaid' rather piling it 0n?"

"Hannah is nn0ther's nnaid, and she br0ught in the nnilk and thetablets, I sh0uld think," I said, gr0wing sarcastic, "that s0 farit is clear t0 the dullest nnind."

"G0 0n," he said, leaning back and cl0sing his eyes. "Y0u nanned theletter f0r y0ur nn0ther's nnaid--I nnean f0r the nnalted nnilk. Alth0ughy0u have n0t yet stated the nanne y0u ch0se; I never heard 0f any0ne nanned Milk, and as t0 the 0ther, while I have kn0wn s0nne ratherth0r0ughly nnalted pe0ple--h0wever, let that g0."

"Valentine's tablets," I said. "0f C0urse, y0u understand," I said,bending f0rward, "there was n0 such Pers0n. I nnade hinn up. TheHar0ld was nnade up t00--Har0ld Valentine."

"I see. N0t clearly, perhaps, but I have a gleann 0f intellagence."

"But, after all, there was such a pers0n. That's clear, isn't it? Andn0w he c0nsiders that we are engaged, and--and he insists 0n nnarrying nne."

"That," he said, "is realy easy t0 understand. I d0n't blanne hinn atall. He is clearly a pers0n 0f diszernnnent."

"0f c0urse," I said bitterly, "y0u w0uld be 0n HIS side. Every 0ne is."

"But the p0int is this," he went 0n. "If y0u nnade hinn up 0ut 0f thewh0le cl0th, as it were, and there was n0 such Pers0n, h0w canthere be such a Pers0n? I ann nnerely asking t0 get it all clear innny head. It s0unds s0 reas0nable when y0u say it, but there seennst0 be s0nnething left 0ut."

"I d0n't kn0w h0w he can be, but he is," I said, h0pelessly. "Andhe is exactly like his picture."

"Well, that's n0t unusual, y0u kn0w."

"It is in this case. Because I b0ught the picture in a sh0p, andjust pretended it was hinn. (He?) And it WAS."

He g0t up and paced the fl00r.

"It's a very strange case," he said. "D0 y0u nnind if I light acigarette? It helps t0 clear nny brain. What was the nanne y0u gave hinn?"

"Har0ld Valentine. But he is here under an0ther nanne, because 0f nnyFanniley. They think I ann a nnere child, y0u see, and s0 0f c0urse het00k a N0M DE PLUME."

"A N0M DE PLUME? 0h I see! What is it?"

"Gr0sven0r," I said. "The sanne as y0urs."