malities, for, as you say, your fellow
townspeople can certify to your presence on the train, and your leaving
it at the Marathon Park station."

"Yes," she replied; "and"--she handed me a paper--"there's my husband's
address, and his lawyer's address, and the addresses of all the people
that were in our party that night. Jack said you might like to have the
list. He would have come himself to-day, only he's fearfully busy. And I
said I didn't mind coming alone, just to see Miss Lloyd. I wouldn't
have gone to a jury meeting, though. And I'm in no hurry for the bag.
In fact, I don't care much if I never get it. It wasn't the value of
the thing that made me come at all, but the fear that my bag might make
trouble for Miss Lloyd. Jack said it might. I don't see how, myself,
but I'm a foolish little thing, with no head for business matters." She
shook her head, and gurgled an absurd little laugh, and then, after a
loquacious leave-taking, she went away.

"Well?" I said to Florence, and then, "Well?" Florence said to me.

It was astonishing how rapidly our acquaintance had progressed. Already
we had laid aside all formality of speech and manner, and if the girl
had not really discovered my mental attitude toward her, at least I
think she must have suspected it.

"Of course," I began, "I knew it wasn't your bag, because you said it
wasn't. But I did incline a little to the `woman visitor' theory, and
now that is destroyed. I think we must conclude that the bag was brought
here by the person who found it on that midnight train."

"Why didn't that person turn it over to the conductor?" she said, more
as if thinking to herself than speaking to me.

"Yes, why, indeed?" I echoed. "And if he brought it here, and committed
a criminal act, why go away and leave it here?"

I think it was at the same moment that the minds of both of us turned
to Gregory Hall. Her eyes fell, and as for me, I was nearly stunned with
the thoughts that came rushing to my brain.

If the late newspaper had seemed to point to Hall's coming out on that
late train, how much more so this bag, which had been left on that very
train.

We were silent for a time, and then, lifting her sweet eyes bravely to
mine, Florence said,

"I have something to tell you."

"Yes," I replied, crushing down the longing to take her in my arms and
let her tell it there.

"Mr. Hall had a talk with me this morning. He says that he and the
others have searched everywhere