wn paper, cut to banknote size and held by rubber bands,
and in a certain position on the outside of the satchel he had
scratched a triangular identification mark with his pocket-knife; the
other tan satchel he had delivered to the Alderson Construction
Company's office. There it had received the currency in Alderson's
elaborately sealed linen envelope, and there in front of the others
Podmore had marked it ostentatiously for identification--the same
triangular mark in the same position on the outside of the satchel.

When the bookkeeper went into the Jessup Grill Clayton had the
duplicate satchel which contained the worthless brown wrapping
paper--had it hidden under his raincoat. When Stiles had dropped the
other satchel close alongside the raincoat on the floor he had played
right into Clayton's hand, that being the very position for which
Clayton was manoeuvring; an unobtrusive kick of the foot flopped the
raincoat over the satchel which contained the money, so that Clayton
had picked it up quite simply, leaving the duplicate satchel for Stiles.

Clayton had made straight for the Union Station, first stopping at the
hotel where Podmore had hurried from the construction company's office
and was waiting to receive the money satchel. At the hotel Clayton had
picked up his own personal travelling bag and had gone over to the
depot to wait for the Brady detective to find him in due course.

Podmore had not opened the precious satchel, the 'phone having rung
with Alderson's hurry-up message just as he had reached his room.
Chucking the tan satchel inside the wardrobe, he had gone back to
Alderson's office immediately to engineer the covering up and to quiet
the troubled waters.

It was not every day that such a golden opportunity of acquiring fifty
thousand dollars presented itself. It was rarely that it could be done
without the risk of discovery. But Mr. Hugh Podmore had recognized in
this very secret contribution for election purposes a sum of money
which was outlawed for the time being, which for obvious reasons dare
not be claimed publicly by either side in the secret transaction.
Ergo, it was any man's money who could lay hands on it. Ergo, it
belonged to Mr. Hughey Podmore!

The beauty of it was that the idea of Ferguson removing the contents to
provide a denial of the whole contribution was so patently the clever
thing to do, that it was a wonder Ferguson had not thought of it
himself when there was suc