zles me yet how you came there and not to the
front door, for you couldn't have expected to find me here in the
garden at this time in the morning."

"True, Harry; I did not." He paused for a moment, and went on--"It is
truth, lad, that I meant to knock at your front door, by-and-by, and
ask for you. But, the hour being over-early for calling, I had a
mind, before rousing you out of bed, to walk down the lane and have a
look over your garden gate. Nay," he corrected himself, "I do not
put it quite honestly, even yet. I came in search of something."

"I can save you the trouble, perhaps," said I, and, diving a hand
into my breech-pocket, I pulled out the gold-rimmed eyeglasses.

He made no offer to take them, though I held them out to him on my
open palm, but fell back a step, and, after a glance at them, lifted
his eyes and met mine honestly, albeit with a trouble in his face.

"You found them?"

"Yes."

"To whom have you shown them?"

"To nobody."

"Yet there has been some inquiry?"

I nodded.

"At which you were present?"

I nodded again.

"And you said nothing of this--this piece of evidence? Why?

"Because"--I hesitated for a couple of seconds and then gulped
hesitation down--"because I could not believe that you--that you were
really--"

"Thank you, Harry."

"All the same, sir, your name was mentioned."

"Eh?" He was plainly astonished. "My name mentioned? But why?
How? since no one saw me here, and if, as you say, you hid this only
evidence--"

"It came up, sir, when they examined me about Captain Danny.
You know--do you not?--that they have found his body, too."

"I heard the news being cried in Truro streets as we came through.
Poor old Coffin! It is all mystery to me--mystery on mystery!
But how on earth should my name have come up in connection with him?"

"Why, about your teaching him navigation, sir."

Captain Branscome passed a hand over his forehead.

"Navigation? Yes; to be sure, I taught him navigation--or, rather,
tried to. But what of that?"

"Well, sir, Miss Belcher seemed to think it suspicious."

He reached out a hand, and, taking the glasses from me, sat down upon
the stone base of the flagstaff and began feebly to polish them.

"Impossible!" he said faintly, as if to himself; then aloud:
"The man was a friend of yours, too, wasn't he?"

"Yes, sir; if you mean Captain Coffin, he was a friend of mine."

"And of mine; and, as you say, he came to me to lea