end of the coach, and finally he got on just as the guard at my
end slammed the gates."

"This was at Forty-second Street?"

"Yes. He took the down train."

"Did he notice you in any way?"

"I suppose so; but no one would have guessed it. He appeared entirely
ignorant of the fact that he was followed, so far as watching me was
concerned."

"You are not to blame. Go back to his hotel, and do the best you can.
Leave the rest to me. I will discover where it is he goes on these
mysterious trips."

Left to himself Mr. Barnes's thoughts took this form:

"Wilson is no match for Mr. Mitchel, that is evident. I wonder whether
there is any real object in this game of hide and seek; or whether it is
simply an intimation to me that he cannot be shadowed? If the
latter--well, we shall see. Now let me think about those jewels found in
New Haven. They tally exactly with the description. Their discovery
complicates the case once more. I had almost concluded that those in the
safety vaults were the ones stolen, and that as they really belong to
Mr. Mitchel, as proven by his receipts, he stole them to win his wager.
In this way he ran no risk, since, if the crime were brought home to
him, he could not be imprisoned, though he would lose the bet. Now here
is another set, evidently the right ones. Mr. Mitchel was plainly
surprised at sight of the list which I found. I am sure he did not know
of its existence. Therefore he may equally as well have known nothing
about this duplicate set of jewels. In that case the occurrence of the
train robbery on the very night of the wager, may be simply a
coincidence. He says that the dead woman was a blackmailer, and that he
gave her the address of his Paris jeweller. May he not have bought his
set from that very man, and may not this woman have stolen the duplicate
set recently, and brought them to this country? Plainly the Paris
jeweller must be looked up. I have his name which I copied from the bill
of sale. If this line of argument is true, some one has followed this
woman from France, in order to rob her, after allowing her to accomplish
the risky business of smuggling. Is that person our friend Thauret?
Along this line of argument we arrive at the conclusion that Mr. Mitchel
has not yet committed his crime. He hinted that I should remember this
if I should exculpate him from those already committed. But do I? Why
did he show me that ruby and say that he meant to present it to his
sweethea