And I believe he did. You would not
have taken him into your office--a boy off the streets, and with a bad
character at that--unless you wanted to bribe him to hold his tongue."

"I had no need to bribe," said Pash, gnawing his finger nails and rather
cowed by this direct attack. "The boy _did_ show me the opal brooch, and
I took it from him to return to Norman."

"When did you receive it?" asked Hurd, pulling out his book. "Be
careful, Mr. Pash, I'll take down what you say."

"I have nothing to conceal," said Pash, in quite an unnecessarily
injured manner. "I had employed the boy on several errands, and he knew
I was Norman's lawyer. On the evening of the sixth of July--"

"And the evening of the murder," said Hurd; "are you sure?"

"I'll take my oath on it. The boy told me that Mr. Beecot had met with
an accident and that a blue velvet case containing a brooch had fallen
out of his pocket."

"It was stolen," said Beecot, hastily.

"Tray was not such a fool as to tell me that," replied the lawyer,
dryly; "he said that he picked the case up out of the mud, and took it
home to his garret. His grandmother, who is a notorious thief, wanted to
get it, and pawn it for drink, but Tray ran away with it and came to me
about five o'clock. He gave me the brooch and asked me to take charge of
it, as he expected to get money for it from Aaron Norman who wanted it."

"Tray overheard my conversation with Norman," said Paul, angrily, "and
knew the brooch was mine--so did you, Mr. Pash."

"Well," said the solicitor, coolly, "what of that? Norman was my client
and wanted the brooch. I intended to keep it and then see you, so that a
sale might be arranged. Norman spoke to me about the brooch several
times and wanted it for reasons you may not know."

"Oh, yes, we know," said Hurd, sardonically; "we know much more than you
give us credit for, Mr. Pash. Well, you saw Norman about the jewel later
that evening. I suppose you intend to tell us you gave him the brooch
then."

"I intend to tell nothing of the sort," retorted Pash, after a few
moments' thought. "I see that things are coming to a crisis, and I would
like to see Miss Norman reinstated in her rights."

"Oh," said Paul, indignantly, "and you did your best to give the money
to Maud Krill!"

"Because I believed she was legally entitled to it," explained Pash,
lamely; "but since--no," he broke off, "I'll say nothing just now. I
alone can put the matter right, and I refus