Chapter 7

The doctor shook his head and said sadly:

"Well, anyway, it's no use trying to prove anything now." "Any cat in the world would clean blood marks—had they been there—from their paws in one-hundredth of the time that's elapsed."

Again, we were silent. And again, Miss Trelawney's silence was broken:

"But now that I think of it, it could not have been poor Silvio who wounded my father." I shut my door when I first heard the sound, and my father's door was locked when I heard it, and when I came in, the injury was done, so it must have happened before Silvio could enter.

This reasoning commended itself, especially to me as a lawyer, for it was proof to satisfy the jury. It was my great pleasure to acquit Silvio of the crime—perhaps because he was Miss Trelawney's cat and she loved it. Happy cat!   Silvio's mistress was visibly pleased as I said:

Doctor Winchester, after a pause, said, "The ver