parcel was
addressed to S. A. Davidge, 32 Edgewood Road, Exeter, England, and it
bore a pasted label that read, "From Redfield & Company, Silversmiths,
Maiden Lane, New York City." It also carried the label of the Oceanic
Express Company, marked, "Charges Paid" and "per S.S. Russia" with the
package number, 44,281, in indelible pencil.

"Well?" said Indiman, interrogatively.

"You see, I was in a scrape on account of that thing, and I wanted to
put the matter straight. Up to ten o'clock this morning I was in the
employ of the Oceanic Express Company--one of the messengers, you know,
sir, who go out with the wagons. It was our first trip of the day, and
we had a big load of small stuff for the Russia, When I had unloaded
and checked up my sheet, No. 44,281 was missing. I went back to the
office, reported the loss, and was discharged on the spot--they're hard
as nails on anything like that. Well, I went home pretty blue, for it's
hard work finding a job nowadays, and I didn't know which way to turn.
I'd been keeping bachelor hall with the driver of the wagon. He's a
foreigner named Grenelli, and claims to be an Italian. Maybe so, but he
looks more like a German, and he can talk half a dozen languages. I
used to go with him to the socialist meetings over on the East Side,
and the Tower of Babel isn't in it with those fellows.

"An anarchist? Oh, I don't think so. Liked to shoot off his mouth about
the rights of man, and he was always down on taxes. But I shouldn't
call him an anarchist. Why, he was the driver of an express wagon, and
the two things don't jibe.

"I should have said that Grenelli had been suspended during the
investigation into the loss, and of course we went home together. We
talked the thing over from end to end, but we couldn't explain the
disappearance of the package--neither of us. Of course, it was me who
was the real responsible party in the business, and Grenelli, who
naturally wanted to get back on his time, felt pretty grouchy about it.
Finally, I got mad, told him to go to blazes, and cleared out of the
house.

"Well, about an hour after that I went home, and met Grenelli coming
out; he said that he was going down to the company stable. At two
o'clock he come back all out of breath, and he had the package with
him--yes, sir, that identical package that we'd been looking for. Told
me that it had been found under the driver's seat wrapped up in one of
the horse-blankets. Seems funny, too, for