"Yes, yes, the little Zoe, and the little philosopher. Proceed."

"What more is there to tell!"

"A trifle perhaps, as you will think," remarked the Judge ironically, but
as one who, finding a crime, must needs find the criminal too. "I must
ask you to inform the Court who was the too polite friend of Madame."

"Monsieur, pardon me. I forgot. It is essential, of course. You must
know that there is a flume, a great wooden channel--"

"Yes, yes. I comprehend. Once I had a case of a flume. It was fifteen
feet deep and it let in the water of the river to the mill-wheels. A
flume regulates, concentrates, and controls the water power. I
comprehend perfectly. Well?"

"So. This flume for Jean Jacques' mill was also fifteen feet deep or
more. It was out of repair, and Jean Jacques called in a master-
carpenter from Laplatte, Masson by name--George Masson--to put the flume
right."

"How long ago was that?"

"A month ago. But Masson was not here all the time. It was his workmen
who did the repairs, but he came over to see--to superintend. At first
he came twice in the week. Then he came every day."

"Ah, then he came every day! How do you know that?"