ewed his unlighted cigar in
silence while the other sat back in his corner with his eyes closed.

Once on his way to headquarters he leaned forward, and clutching
Donaldson's knee, repeated his cry,

"Tell me it's all a lie," he begged. "There's time yet. I 'll hustle
you to the train and stake you to Canada. Just give me your word for
it."

Donaldson shook his head.

"It would only come back on Arsdale, and that is n't square."

"Then God help you," murmured Saul.

The cab stopped before headquarters and Saul, with lagging steps, led
his man in. The Chief listened to the story he told with his keen eyes
kindling like a fire through shavings. He saw the end to the bitter
invective heaped upon him during the last three weeks by the press.
Then he began his gruelling cross-examination.

The story Donaldson told was simple and convincing. He had come to New
York full of hope, had waited month after month, and had finally become
discouraged. In this extremity he had taken to a drug. His relations
with the Arsdales began less than a week ago and they knew nothing of
him save that he had been of some assistance in helping young Arsdale
straighten out. Arsdale had borrowed money of him, although doubtless
he could not remember it, and had taken it to go down to Tung's.
Feeling a sense of responsibility for the use the boy had made of this
money and out of regard to the sister, he had done his best to help him
pull out.

When pressed for further details of the crimes themselves, Donaldson
admitted that his memory was very much clouded. He had committed the
assaults when in a mental condition that left them in his memory only
as evil dreams. The substantiation of this must come through his
identification by the witnesses. He could remember nothing of what he
had done with the purses, or the jewels and papers which they
contained. He had used only the money.

An officer was sent to search his rooms at the hotel, and in the
meanwhile men were sent out to bring in the victims of the assaults.
It was for this test that Donaldson held in check all the reserve power
he had within him. If his story was weak up to this point, he realized
that this identification would substantiate it beyond the shadow of a
doubt. This he knew must be done in order to offset Arsdale's possible
attempt to give himself up when he should hear of this. As a student
he had been impressed with the unreliability of direct evidence, an