pretended he was mighty ill an hour after breakfast?"

"I'd thought of that. But the difficulty would be that we shan't be
in a position to say if poison is really used. No time for
chemistry."

"Try it on the cat."

Peter considered.

"A double cross is often a very pretty thing," he admitted, "but
I've seen too many examples among the police of digging a pit and
falling in themselves. One difficulty is that we don't want to alarm
Albert more than necessary. At present he only knows that I think
him in danger; but he has not the most shadowy idea that members of
his own household are implicated. He won't know it till I forbid him
to touch his breakfast. Yes; we can certainly try a double cross. He
shall order bread and milk--we know who will bring it to him. Then
his cat, 'Grillo,' shall breakfast upon it." Peter turned to Mark.
"That will convince you, my friend."

But the other shook his head.

"It depends upon circumstances. Even granted poison, many an honest
man and woman has been the innocent tool of a murderer's will."

"True enough; but we are wasting time upon an improbability. I do
not myself think it will be attempted. It is the line of least
resistance and the line of least resistance generally means the
lines of greatest risk afterward. No--he'll do something smarter