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132 Odell's diplomacy came to his aid. "If someone else had burned that sawdust and put the ashes in Gene's grate to throw suspicion on him it wouldn't have taken much mental effort; would it? But if Gene himself had burned it in the tray from the bottom of the cage in Randall's room, purposely put back the tray uncleaned to leave the evidence, and then emptied the ashes into his own grate to make it look as if his brother were guilty and trying to incriminate him, that would show scheming of a rather higher order; wouldn't it?"

"What are you trying to put over, Odell?" demanded the captain. "Got anything on this Gene that you haven't told me about? From what I gather he is a kind of a weak-kneed but harmless young pup; and he certainly wouldn't have cut the wires of that portrait almost through and then sat under it and waited for it to fall on him."

"Weakness directed by a stronger and more evil personality may very easily develop into viciousness, all the more dangerous because in a moment of action it would be backed by the desperation of panic," the detective remarked. "I'm not trying to preach, Captain; you know yourself that the strong-minded crooks are the easiest to handle in the long run. We haven't any proof that Gene Chalmers ever sat for an instant under that portrait at the desk last night. The ladies and Randall had retired, and the only persons near were Lorne and his attorney in the next room with a heavy door closed between.

"What was to prevent that young man from cutting the wires of the portrait with the electric file—I have it on the authority of an expert that such an instrument makes only a low buzzing sound, and it is quite possible that it would