ime, you know, Philip
Bawdrey was as innocent and guileless as any of those little shavers;
and yet, in after years he proved a monster of iniquity, a beast of
ingratitude, and--Oh, well, let it pass. He paid, as thankless children
always do pay under God's good rule. I wonder what his thoughts were
when his last hour came."

"It did come, then?"

"Yes. Got playing some of his games with those short-tempered chaps out
in Buenos Ayres and got knifed a fortnight after his arrival. I had a
letter from Mrs. Bawdrey yesterday. His father never knew of--well, the
other thing; and never will now, thank God. The longer I live, Mr.
Narkom, the surer I become that straight living always pays; and that
the chap who turns into the other lane gets what he deserves before the
game is played out."

"Ten years of Scotland Yard have enabled me to endorse that statement
emphatically," replied Narkom. "'The riddle of the ninth finger' was no
different in that respect from nine hundred other riddles that have come
my way since I took office. Now sit down, old chap, and let us take up
the present case. But I say, Cleek; speaking of rewards reminds me of
what I wrote you. There's very little chance of one in this affair. All
the parties connected with it are in very moderate circumstances. The
sculptor fellow, Van Nant, who figures in it, was quite well-to-do at
one time, I believe, but he ran through the greater part of his money,
and a dishonest solicitor did him out of the rest. Miss Morrison herself
never did have any, and, as I have told you, the Captain hasn't anything
in the world but his pension; and it takes every shilling of that to
keep them. In the circumstances, I'd have made it a simple 'Yard'
affair, chargeable to the Government, and put one of the regular staff
upon it. But--well, it's such an astounding, such an unheard-of-thing, I
knew you'd fairly revel in it. And besides, after all the rewards you
have won you must be quite a well-to-do man by this time, and able to
indulge in a little philanthropy."

Cleek smiled.

"I will indulge in it, of course," he said, "but not for that reason,
Mr. Narkom. I wonder how much it will surprise you to learn that, at the
present moment, I have just one hundred pounds in all the world?"

"My dear fellow!" Narkom exclaimed, with a sort of gasp, staring at him
in round-eyed amazement. "You fairly take away my breath. Why, you must
have received a fortune since you took up these spec