the clerk said humbly. "I don't see how I
lost the paper, if I did, sir. I was very careful when I took the
deeds and leases out of the safe. It seems hardly possible--"

"But you lost it. Nobody else could have done it. I don't want
excuses. You can go, sir." Cunningham turned abruptly to his cousin.
"The sheets of paper with the Japanese writing have been lost. This
man, by some piece of inexcusable carelessness, took them with a bundle
of other documents to my lawyer's office. He must have taken them.
They were lying with the others. Now they can't be found anywhere."

"Have you 'phoned to your lawyer?" asked Kirby.

"'Phoned and been in person. They are nowhere to be found. They ought
to turn up somewhere. This clerk probably dropped them. I've sent an
advertisement to the afternoon papers."

Kirby was taken aback at this unexpected mischance, but there was no
use wasting nerve energy in useless fretting. He regretted having left
the papers with James, for he felt that in them might be the key to the
mystery of the Cunningham case. But he had no doubt that his cousin
was more distressed about the loss than he was. He comforted himself
with the reflection that a thorough search would probably restore them,
anyhow.

He asked Hudson a few questions and had the man show them exactly where
he had picked up the papers he took to the lawyer. James listened, his
anger still simmering.

Kirby took his cousin by the arm and led him into the inner office.

"Frankly, James, I think you were partly to blame," he said. "You must
have laid the writing very close in the safe to the other papers.
Hadn't you better give Hudson another chance before you fire him?" His
disarming smile robbed both the criticism and the suggestion of any
offense they might otherwise have had.

In the end he persuaded Cunningham to withdraw his discharge of the
clerk.

"He doesn't deserve it," James grumbled. "He's maybe spoiled our
chance of laying hands on the man who killed Uncle. I can't get over
my disappointment."

"Don't worry, old man," Lane said quietly. "We're goin' to rope an'
hogtie that wolf even if Horikawa can't point him out to us with his
dead hand."

Cunningham looked at him, and again the faint, ironic smile of
admiration was in evidence. "You're confident, Kirby."

"Why wouldn't I be? With you an' Rose McLean an' Cole Sanborn an' I
all followin' the fellow's trail, he can't double an' twist enoug