rd with any such
made-up story."

"Mr. Clancy is testifying," observed the coroner. "Now, Mr. Clancy, as I
understand it, you discovered as you supposed the guilty man, and
instead of going to your employer with the story and receiving your pay
from him, you accepted it from the person you had accused--or at least
from his friend?"

"I've explained the circumstances; it was a mere matter of
accommodation."

"I suppose you know what such accommodation is called?"

"If you mean it was blackmail--that's false! At least," he added,
quickly relapsing into good nature, "it was a mighty generous kind of
blackmail. I could have got my pay fast enough from the Colonel but I
didn't want to stir up trouble. We all know that it isn't the innocent
who pay blackmail," he added parenthetically.

"Do you mean to insinuate that Mr. Crosby is implicated?"

"Lord no! He's as innocent as a lamb. Young Gaylord was too smart for
him; he hoodwinked him as well as the Colonel into believing the bonds
were stolen while he was out of the house."

A smile ran around the room and the detective was excused. I sprang to
my feet.

"One moment!" I said. "I should like to ask Mr. Clancy some questions."

The young man was turned over to me, plainly against his wishes.

"What proof have you, Mr. Clancy, that the bonds were not stolen while
Mr. Gaylord was out of the house?"

"Well, my investigations led me to the belief that he stole them, and
that being the case, it must have been done before he left the house."

"I see! And your investigations concerned themselves largely with a
letter which you filched from Mr. Gaylord's coat pocket in the night,
did they not?"

"Not entirely--the letter merely struck me as corroborative evidence,
though I have since learned--"

"Mr. Clancy," I interrupted sternly, "did you not tell me at the time,
that that letter was absolute proof of his guilt--yes or no?"

"I may have said so but--"

"Mr. Clancy, will you kindly repeat what was in that letter."

"It referred to some bonds; I don't know that I can recall the exact
words."

"Then I must request you to read it," I returned, picking it out from a
bundle of papers on the table and handing it to him. "I am sorry to take
up so much time with a matter that has nothing to do with the murder," I
added to the coroner, "but you yourself brought up the subject and it is
only fair to hear the whole story."

He nodded permission, and ordered Clancy to r