shells I pick one up, and let the pea fall on the
stand like it had been under that shell all the time. That's the game,
only up to now I ain't got the hang of it. She won't ooze out from
under, and she won't stick between my fingers, and when she does
stick, she won't drop at the right time."

"Except for that, you've got her all right, have you?" asked Mr. Gubb.

"Except for that," said Mr. Critz; "and I'd have that, only my fingers
are stubby."

"What was it you thought of having me do if I wasn't a deteckative?"
asked Mr. Gubb.

"The work you'd have to do would be capping work," said Mr. Critz.
"Capper--that's the professional name for it. You'd guess which shell
the ball was under--"

"That would be easy, the way you do it now," said Mr. Gubb.

"I told you I'd got to learn it better, didn't I?" asked Mr. Critz
impatiently. "You'd be capper, and you'd guess which shell the pea was
under. No matter which you guessed, I'd leave it under that one, so'd
you'd win, and you'd win ten dollars every time you bet--but not for
keeps. That's why I've got to have an honest capper."

"I can see that," said Mr. Gubb; "but what's the use lettin' me win it
if I've got to bring it back?"

"That starts the boobs bettin'," said Mr. Critz. "The boobs see how
you look to be winnin', and they want to win too. But they don't. When
they bet, I win."

"That ain't a square game," said Mr. Gubb seriously, "is it?"

"A crook ain't expected to be square," said Mr. Critz. "It stands to
reason, if a crook wants to be a crook, he's got to be crooked, ain't
he?"

"Yes, of course," said Mr. Gubb. "I hadn't looked at it that way."

"As far as I can see," said Mr. Critz, "the more I know how a
detective acts, the better off I'll be when I start in doin' real
business. Ain't that so? I guess, till I get the hang of things
better, I'll stay right here."

"I'm glad to hear you say so, Mr. Critz," said Mr. Gubb with relief.
"I like you, and I like your looks, and there's no tellin' who I might
get for a roommate next time. I might get some one that wasn't
honest."

So it was agreed, and Mr. Critz stood over the washstand and
manipulated the little rubber pea and the three shells, while Mr. Gubb
sat on the edge of the bed and studied Lesson Eleven of the "Rising
Sun Detective Agency's Correspondence School of Detecting."

When, presently, Mr. Critz learned to work the little pea neatly, he
urged Mr. Gubb to take the part of capper, and