He certainly has not been for the last
quarter of a century--but before that--well, it's not so certain. And
there's one striking point which seems to indicate his guilt."
"Yes--you mean, of course, her resemblance to his daughter."
"Precisely. Such a resemblance must exist--a resemblance unusual, even
striking--or it would not for a moment have deceived Rogers. We must
remember, however, that Rogers's office was not brilliantly lighted,
and that he merely glanced at her. Still, whatever minor differences
there may have been, she had the air, the general appearance, the look
of Miss Holladay. Mere facial resemblance may happen in a hundred
ways, by chance; but the air, the look, the 'altogether' is very
different--it indicates a blood relationship. My theory is that she is
an illegitimate child, perhaps four or five years older than Miss
Holladay."
I paused to consider. The theory was reasonable, and yet it had its
faults.
"Now, let's see where this leads us," he continued. "Let us assume
that Holladay has been providing for this illegitimate daughter for
years. At last, for some reason, he is induced to withdraw this
support; or, perhaps, the girl thinks her allowance insufficient. At
any rate, after, let us suppose, ineffectual appeals by letter, she
does the desperate thing of calling at his office to protest in
person.
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