But I'm only explaining the police position, and showing you the danger likely to arise from it.

The police theory is this, as far as I can make it out: Ransford, years ago, did Braden a wrong, and Braden certainly swore revenge when he could find him.

Circumstances prevented Braden from seeking him closely for some time; at last they met here, by accident.

Here the police aren't decided.

One theory is that there was an altercation, blows, a struggle, in the course of which Braden met his death; the other is that Ransford deliberately took Braden up into the gallery and flung him through that open doorway--" "That," observed Mary, with something very like a sneer, "seems so likely that I should think it would never occur to anybody but the sort of people you're telling me of! No man of any real sense would believe it for a minute!" "Some people of plain common sense do believe it for all that!" retorted Bryce.