you want to understand and follow me back to Paris. The
three of us were there: Ismay, Miss Landis, myself. Miss Landis was
dickering with Cottier's for the necklace, Ismay sticking round and not
losing sight of her much of the time, I was looking after Ismay. Miss
Landis buys the collar and a ticket for London; Ismay buys a ticket for
London; I trail. Then Miss Landis makes another purchase--a razor, in a
shop near the hotel where I happen to be loafing."

"A razor!"

"That's the way it struck me, too.... Scene Two: Cockspur Street,
London. I'm not sure what boat Miss Landis means to take; I've got a
notion it's the Autocratic, but I'm stalling till I know. You drift into
the office, I recognise you and recall that you're pretty thick with
Miss Landis. Nothing more natural than that you and she should go home
by the same steamer. Similarly--Ismay.... Oh, yes, I understand it was
pure coincidence; but I took a chance and filled my hand. After we'd
booked and you'd strutted off, I lingered long enough to see Miss Landis
drive up in a taxi with a whaling big bandbox on top of the cab. She
booked right under my nose; I made a note of the bandbox....

"Then you came aboard with the identical bandbox and your funny story
about how you happened to have it. I smelt a rat: Miss Landis hadn't
sent you that bandbox anonymously for no purpose. Then one
afternoon--long toward six o'clock--I see Miss Landis's maid come out on
deck and jerk a little package overboard--package just about big enough
to hold a razor. That night I'm dragged up on the carpet before the
captain; I hear a pretty fairy tale about the collar disappearing while
Jane was taking the bandbox back to your steward. The handbag is on the
table, in plain sight; it isn't locked--a blind man can see that; and
the slit in its side has been made by a razor. I add up the bandbox and
the razor and multiply the sum by the fact that the average woman will
smuggle as quick as the average man will take a drink; and I'm Jeremiah
Wise, Esquire."

"That's the best yet," Staff applauded. "But--see here--why didn't you
tell what you knew, if you knew so much, when you were accused?"

Iff grimaced sourly. "Get ready to laugh. This is one you won't fall
for--not in a thousand years."

"Shoot," said Staff.

"I like you," said Iff simply. "You're foolish in the head sometimes,
but in the main you mean well."

"That's nice of you--but what has it to do with my question?"

"Ev