lips to hide a tremble that was
there. "Yes, I recall that deplorable affair. The son was taken for the
crime, I think." He looked at the investigator with uncertainty in his
eyes. "But why do you speak of that matter in connection, as it were,
with me?"

"By an odd train of circumstances," spoke Ashton-Kirk; "there was a
robbery committed at the time of the murder. Some diamonds were taken."

"Diamonds!" Quigley's mouth dropped open, and his pale face became
positively ghastly. "Why, in my reading of the newspaper accounts of the
case, I saw no mention of a robbery."

Ashton-Kirk nodded.

"That is true, because this phase of the matter is one of which neither
the newspapers nor the police know anything as yet." He leaned forward
in his chair and continued in his smoothest tones: "Among the things
taken was a diamond necklace. And this was sold to you to-day."

"No, no!" protested the man. "It is not true, sir! No, no! I am very
careful. I never purchase or lend money on things of which I am not
altogether sure."

"The necklace was brought to you to-day between twelve and one o'clock,"
said the investigator. "It was brought by a woman who wore a veil and
you haggled with her as to the money she was to get for it."

"Sir," said Quigley, lifting one hand, "I must insist that you are
mistaken; I must insist that this is a----"

But Ashton-Kirk stopped him.

"When I had the man send up my name a while ago," said the investigator,
"you replied that you did not know me. Surely, Mr. Quigley, your memory
is much better than that. I would hesitate to accuse a man in your line
of effort of being so forgetful. Only three years ago I transacted a
little business with you--the matter of Senator Donaldson's collection
of Revolutionary autographs. They had been taken by his younger
son--since dead--and sold to you. If it had not been that the Senator
was anxious to hush the matter up, you would have had some trouble on
your hands, Mr. Quigley."

The broker choked and gasped, and when he came out of this his whole
manner had undergone a change.

"Mr. Ashton-Kirk," said he, "I beg your pardon. I do recognize you now.
But, sir, you had entirely slipped my memory; if you had not mentioned
that unfortunate Donaldson episode I would not have recalled you. That
was one of those things in which even a very honest man might become
involved. I was deceived in that case, and----"

"Let us agree, then, that you were deceived. And