staken."

"You are mistaken, sir," said Jones, coldly.

He turned to Nick.

"Mr. Gottlieb has sealed my doom for the present," he said, with a
smile. "I am ready to go with you."

Nick took his prisoner to Police Headquarters.

The detective had meanwhile sent Patsy in quest of Harrigan, the
coachman.

Jones was taken into the superintendent's room, and a dozen other men
were assembled there, waiting for the arrival of the cabman.

Harrigan was very nervous when he appeared.

"Youse fellies are tryin' to do me out o' my license," said he; "but I'm
tellin' yer I was all right last night. I wasn't half so paralyzed as
youse t'ink I was. Show me your man and I'll identify him."

Harrigan was led into the superintendent's room. When he saw how many
men were there he seemed to be a great deal taken aback.

But he put a bold face on the matter, and promptly advanced, saying:

"This is the man."

Nick made a gesture of disappointment, and then he laughed, and the
superintendent with him.

The man whom Harrigan had selected was Chick.

It was evident that the cabman was going upon pure guess-work. Being
sharply questioned, he confessed that he had no idea how his "fare" of
the previous night looked.

"I'll give it to youse dead straight," said he, at last; "I don't know
whether the mug was white or black. Say, he might have been a Chinee."

"I believe that fellow is faking," said the sergeant to Nick, as
Harrigan left the room.

"No; he's straight enough, I guess," said Nick. "He's not the sort of
man who would have been let into a game of this kind."

Nick then proceeded to question the prisoner in the presence of Chick
and the superintendent.

His answers were straightforward enough, but they threw little light
upon the affair.

The only subject which he refused to discuss was the whereabouts of his
wife. When questioned about her, he invariably declined to speak.

"She's gone on a little pleasure trip," he said, "and I want her to
enjoy it. This affair will be all over when she gets back. She'll never
hear of it, where she is, and that's as it should be."

Nick returned to his house, where he was informed that a visitor was
waiting for him.

He found a gentleman somewhat under forty years of age, and apparently
in prosperous circumstances, pacing the study floor.

The visitor was evidently greatly excited about something, for his hands
trembled and he started nervously when Nick entered.

"Mr