“Do you play chess, by the by?” asked Vance. “Used to. But no more. A beautiful game, though—if it wasn't for… — S.S. Van Dine

“Oh, my dear fellow! I’m not indulgin’ in implications. I’m merely givin’ tongue to my youthful curiosity, don’t y’ know.”

“You’re probably right,” sighed Vance. “I haven’t any coruscatin’ arguments to combat you with. Only, I’m disappointed. I don’t like anticlimaxes, especially when they don’t jibe with my idea of the dramatist’s talent. Pardee’s death at this moment is too deuced neat—it clears things up too tidily. There’s too much utility in it, and too little imagination.”

I trust the clergy are not involved in this problem. They‘re notoriously unscientific. One can‘t attack them with mathematics.