e of the inefficient light, that he was young
and probably good-looking. His inspection, however, was limited, for the
other arose, breathing harshly, as if he were labouring under an
unfamiliar excitement, and returned to the car.

As the driver set his gears and let the clutch in Garth reached through
the areaway railing and fumbled about the sidewalk for the object. His
fingers found it--round, flat, hard--not at all puzzling in itself, yet
completely unintelligible as a clue to the young man's motive in placing
it there. It was a piece of money.

Garth slipped from the areaway. He held his find up to the nearest lamp.
The piece of money was a five dollar gold piece. He glanced along the
street. The automobile had just swung from sight. He started quickly
after it, because it had occurred to him that if such a performance were
repeated in Park Avenue, his curiosity would make him stop the machine,
would suggest a number of questions to the young man in the fur coat,
would seek an explanation of the chauffeur's furtive impatience.

When he turned the corner he was not surprised to find the limousine
halted again, to see the young man returning from a third excursion to
the house line where, doubtless, he had with an extreme anxiety placed
another piece of money.

Garth broke into a run. The chauffeur glanced over his shoulder and
muttered quickly to the man, who sprang in. As soon as the door was
closed the car started with a speed almost affirmative of flight.

Garth held up his hand with the gold piece and shouted. The car went
faster. He hastened to read the license number on its rear. As he wrote
it in his pocket book he watched the red of the tail light diminish and
disappear.

He walked over and picked up a twenty-five cent piece. Why then had the
young man left five dollars around the corner? He stared at the two
coins, his bewilderment growing. What could be the explanation of this
trail of money, left with a scrupulous care on New York pavements? Of
what abnormal diligence could such an eccentricity be an echo? How
pronounced was its significance?

Almost certainly another coin lay close to Lexington Avenue where the
car had first stopped. It was not probable that a third exhibit would
reflect any light on the affair, still he wanted to learn the
denomination of that coin, and evidently it was the final goal of his
curiosity to-night.

As soon as he turned the corner he saw that he would be too late.