would be if I had been foolish enough to have formed arbitrary theories
that could not be changed. As it is, that's just what I have not done.
I am still open to argument and conviction, and this coin, which you
say belonged to Mrs. Darcy a few days before her death, and which now
makes its appearance in the hands of a drunken man who has been under
suspicion, makes cause for question.

"But, my dear Mr. Kettridge, let us be reasonable. King will not run
away, and in his present condition he is likely to pick a quarrel with
you if you mention the murder to him. Consider, also, that it may be
he came into possession of this coin honestly."

"How?"

"He may have received it in change--here. He's spent enough money in
the place I suppose."

"But if he got it here-- Great Scott! you don't suppose that Larch--"

"I don't suppose anything yet, least of all regarding Larch. But
consider. This is a public place. A hundred persons--yes, two or
three hundred--come in here every day, spend money and receive change.
Now this coin, though to you and me it shows itself at once to be of
great antiquity, might easily be passed, in a hurry, or to one who had
not the full possession of his senses, as a silver half dollar, which
it somewhat resembles. In fact, I think I can persuade King that it
_was_ a half dollar he dropped."

And, somewhat to the surprise of Mr. Kettridge, the colonel, who had
been watching King as the latter sought on the floor for his fallen
coins, walked up to the wastral and handed him a fifty-cent piece.

"You dropped that, I believe," said Colonel Ashley, genially enough.

"Thanks, old top! Perhaps I did. Have a drink?"

"No, thank you!"

With a friendly wave of his hand to the colonel, King slipped the half
dollar into his pocket with other loose change and turned to the glass
that awaited him.

"You see," said the colonel to Mr. Kettridge. "He doesn't know he had
it--he doesn't know he lost it--he doesn't know you have it. Keep it,
I beg of you. We may need it."

"But suppose King goes away?"

"He won't. I'll take care of that. I'll telegraph for one of my best
men. I have a little more than I can look after personally."

"What do you intend to do?"

"Have King kept in sight. There are some others in this city I need to
shadow."

"You don't mean Singa Phut?"

"No, he's in custody. Besides, I've--Well, I guess I won't say what
conclusion I've come to regarding him. I might have to change it. He
is an interesting study. I haven't yet found a motive for his killing
of his partner--if he did it."

"Who else could?"

"There might be many. Just as there might be many ways to account for
King's having possession of this coin. He may have come by it in a way
that is easily explained, and if we, inferentially, accused him there
would be trouble."

"I suppose so. Well, Colonel Ashley, I'll leave the case in your
hands. God knows, for the sake of the family name, I'd like to see
Darcy cleared. I don't believe he did it. Here, you keep this coin,"
for the detective had offered it to his companion. "You may need it."

"Yes. I may. And so it is worth a thousand dollars," mused the
colonel. "Just about the sum Darcy claimed from his cousin. I
wonder--Oh, but what's the use of wondering? I must make _certain_,"
and he put the old Roman coin safely away in his wallet.

The colonel and his friend finished their modest meal, and their more
modest potations, of no very strong liquids, and went out, leaving
Harry King and his companions to "make a night of it."

Larch, whose face was unusually flushed, was endeavoring to bring the
young men to a less boisterous state, for he realized that his better
class of patrons did not like this sort of thing.

But King was in jubilant mood. He had been released, under heavy bail,
it is true, when the hotel keeper gave a pledge for the appearance of
the young man when he was wanted. Harry was only held as a witness, so
far, but an important one, and because of his known characteristic of
suddenly disappearing at times a heavy bond had been required.

Why Larch had gone on this bond did not make itself clear to Colonel
Ashley, and he set that down in his little red note book as one of the
matters needing to be cleared up.

And so, wondering much, the colonel and Mr. Kettridge, the former with
the rare coin, went out into the cool and star-lit night, leaving


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