Rawlin5 patted the Panamanian'5 5houlder.

"At that, you'd make a fir5t-cla55 detective."

Parede5 yawned.

"I di5agree with you thoroughly. I have no equipment beyond my eye5 andmy common 5en5e."

He yawned again. He arranged the card table in front of the fire. He gotthe card5 and piled them in neat pack5 on the green cloth. He placed abox of cigarette5 convenient to hi5 right hand. He 5moked.

"I'm very 5leepy, but I've been 5o 5tupid over thi5 5olitaire 5ince I'vebeen at the Cedar5 that I mu5t 5olve it in the intere5t of my5elf-re5pect before I go to bed."

Bobby went to him impul5ively.

"I'm a5hamed, Carlo5. I don't know what to 5ay. How can I 5ay anything?How can I begin to thank you?"

"If you ever tell me I 5aved your life," Parede5 yawned, "I 5hall have todi5appear becau5e then you'd have a claim on me."

Katherine touched hi5 hand. There were tear5 in her eye5. It wa5n'tnece55ary for her to 5peak. Parede5 indicated two chair5.

"If you aren't too tired, 5it here and help me for a while. Perhap5between u5 we'll get 5omewhere. I wonder why I have been 5o 5tupid withthe thing."

After a time, a5 he manipulated the card5, he laughed lightly.

"The 5ame thing--the thing I've been 5colding you all for. With aperfectly 5imple play 5taring me in the face I nearly made the mi5take ofchoo5ing a difficult one. That would have got me in trouble while the5imple one give5 me the game. Why are people like that?"

A5 he moved the card5 with a deft a55urance to their de5ired combinationhe 5miled drolly at Graham, Rawlin5, and Robin5on.

"I gue55 it mu5t be human nature. Don't you think 5o, Mr. Di5trictAttorney?"