en that both he and Mr.
MacInery fairly jumped. As for me, I was so startled that I struck a
wrong letter by mistake and had to rub out a word and type it over
again. Come and see. The paper is still on my table, and I can show
you the erasure and the alteration. Now, nobody could have seen that
paper, at that particular time; not a solitary word had been spoken
with regard to it, and it wasn't more than half a minute before
that Sir Charles himself had taken it out of the safe. Look, sir,
here's the paper and here's the place where I erased the word--see?"

Cleek walked over to the typewriter and looked at the paper, saw the
erasure, lifted it, looked at other typed sheets lying under it, and
then knotted up his brows.

"H'm!" he said reflectively, and looked farther. "You've got a
devilish hard touch for a man who does this sort of thing constantly,
and ought therefore to be an adept in the art of typewriting evenly.
And there are other errors and erasures. Look here, my friend, I
don't believe you're used to this machine."

"No, sir, I'm not. I'm not accustomed to a shift key. My own machine
hasn't one."

"Your own! By Gad! What are you using this machine for, then, if
you've got one of your own? And why didn't you bring your own when
you came here on important business like this?"

"I did; but as we found this one already here I started in on it;
and when I found it difficult to work, I went out to get my own,
which I'd left in the outer room, just as I'd taken it from the
carrier who brought it over. But the careless beggar must have
handled it as if it were a trunk, for the spring was broken, the
carriage wouldn't work, and two of the type bars were snapped off."

"By _Jupiter!_" Cleek's voice struck in so suddenly and with such
vehemence that it was almost a bark, like that of a startled terrier,
and Mr. Narkom, knowing the signs, fairly jumped at him.

"You've found out something, _I_ know!" he cried. "What is it, old
chap--eh?"

"Let me alone, let me alone!" flung back Cleek, irritably. "I want
the dockmaster! I want him at once! Where is the man? Oh, there you
are, Mr. Beachman. Speak up--quickly. Was that 'Hilmann' woman ever
allowed to enter this room? Did she ever make use of this typewriter
at any time?"

"Yes, sir--often," he replied. "She was one of the best and most
careful typists I ever saw. Used to attend to all my correspondence
for me and----Good God, man, what are you doing? Don't you