THE DARKEST HOUR The amateur detective walked slowly up to Piccadilly, and climbed on top of a Chelsea omnibus, a dejected figure even to the casual eye.

He was more than disappointed at the upshot of his wild speculations, and in himself for the false start that he had made.

His feeling was one of positive shame.

It was so easy now to see the glaring improbability of the conclusion to which he had jumped in his haste, at the first promptings of a too facile fancy.

And what an obvious idea it had been at last! As if his were the only brain to which it could have occurred! Langholm could have laughed at his late theory if it had only entailed the loss of one day, but it had also cost him that self-confidence which was the more valuable in his case through not being a common characteristic of the man.