elegram. I examined the pink slip with some curiosity,
but no great interest, when, glancing, as is my habit, at the signature
first, I was astounded to see that it was from Miss Temple. It was as
follows:

"Police have discovered weapon in your room wrapped in your
handkerchief.

"MURIEL TEMPLE."

So strong is the consciousness of innocence that even after reading this
telegram I had no thought of what this new discovery might portend to
me. It was strange, I thought, that I had forgotten the thing. But I
remembered now that, when I first found it, Sergeant McQuade was in
Exeter, and, when he returned, the entire evening until a late hour was
taken up with Major Temple's account of his and Ashton's adventures in
China. The next morning the coroner's inquest occupied all my thoughts,
and then came Li Min's arrest and our hurried departure for London.
Since then, I had had no opportunity to converse at any length with the
detective. I laid the telegram open upon the table, thinking that, if
the Scotland Yard man did not already know of the discovery, I would be
able to inform him of it on his arrival.

He came on the stroke of three, and with him was a burly, deep-chested,
ruddy-faced man, with twinkling eyes and iron-gray whiskers, whom he
introduced to me as Inspector Burns, of Scotland Yard. I bade them be
seated, and offered cigars, which they refused. Both seemed a trifle
constrained, I thought. The Sergeant began the conversation.

"I have brought Inspector Burns with me," he said, slowly; "he wants to
ask you a few questions."

I turned to the Inspector and smiled. I was quite ready to answer any
questions that he might care to ask, and I so informed him.

"Mr. Morgan," he began, "about that cake of soap which, as the events of
last night showed, contained the missing jewel cleverly hidden within
it. Will you be so good as to tell Sergeant McQuade and myself how it
happened to be in your possession?"

"Certainly," I replied, without hesitation. "I was in my room at Major
Temple's house yesterday morning, and I heard someone moving about in
the green room in which Mr. Ashton was killed. You are no doubt aware
that the doors of the two rooms are directly opposite each other?"

"I know that," he replied, gravely.

"I saw, by looking into the mirror on my dresser, that the person in the
other room was Major Temple's Chinese servant, Li Min. He seemed to me