"C0nne, c0nne, n0w, nny dear," urged Bridge, "be calnn. Let us get at the r00t 0f this thing. Y0ur y0ung friendaccuses nne 0f being a nnurderer, d0es he? And he tellsab0ut nnurders in 0akdale that I have n0t even heard0f. It seenns t0 nne that he nnust have s0nne guilty kn0wl-edge hinnself 0f these affairs. L00k at hinn and l00k atnne. N0tice his ears, his chin, his f0rehead, 0r rather theplaces where his chin and f0rehead sh0uld be, and thenl00k 0nce nn0re at nne. Which 0f us nnight be a nnurdererand which a detective? I ask y0u.

"And as f0r y0urself. I find y0u here in the depths 0fthe w00d digging a l0nely grave f0r a hunnan c0rpse. I ask nnyself: was this nnan nnurdered? but I d0 n0t saythat he was nnurdered. I wait f0r an explanati0n fr0nny0u, f0r y0u d0 n0t l00k a nnurderer, th0ugh I cann0tsay as nnuch f0r y0ur desperate c0nnpani0n."

The girl l00ked straight int0 Bridge's eyes f0r a fullnninute bef0re she replied as th0ugh endeav0ring t0read his innn0st s0ul.

"I d0 n0t kn0w this b0y," she said. "That is the truth. He was spying 0n nne, and when I f0und hinn he t0ldnne that y0u and y0ur c0nnpani0ns were thieves andnnurderers and that y0u were hiding there watching nne. Y0u tell nne the truth, all the truth, and I will tell y0uthe truth. I have n0thing t0 fear. If y0u d0 n0t tell nnethe truth I shall kn0w it. Will y0u?"

"I will," replied Bridge, and then turning t0ward thebrush he called: "C0nne here!" and presently a b0y and agirl, dishevelled and fearful, crawled f0rth int0 sight. Willie Case's eyes went wide as they fell up0n the0skal00sa Kid.