fix their vally at, now, mister--thereabouts, anyway?"

"Good heavens, man!" I said. "They're worth a great deal of money--a
great deal."

"I'm very well aware o' that, mister," he answered. "Very well aware
indeed--nobody better. I seen a deal o' things in my time, and I ain't
no fool."

"You really want to sell them?" I asked.

"If I get the full price," said he. "And that, of course, would be a
big 'un."

"The thing to do," I said, "would be to find somebody who wants to
complete a particularly fine set of pearls--some very rich woman who'd
stick at nothing. The same remark applies to the rubies."

"Maybe you could come across some customer?" he suggested.

"No doubt, in a little time," I answered.

"Well," he said, "I'm going up North--I've a bit o' business that way,
and I reckon I'll be back here in London in a week or so--I'll call in
then, mister, and if you've found anybody that's likely to deal, I'll
show 'em the goods with pleasure."

"You'd better leave them with me, and let me show them to some
possible buyers," I said. But he was already folding up his canvas
wrapping again.

"Guv'nor," he answered, "I can see as how you're a honest man, and I
treats you as such, and so will, but I couldn't have them things out
o' my possession for one minute until I sells 'em. I've a brother,
mister," he added, "as owns a half-share in 'em--d'ye see?--and I
holds myself responsible to him. But now that you've seen 'em guv'nor,
find a buyer or buyers--I'll shove my bows round that door o' yours
again this day week." And with that he restored his treasures to their
hiding-place, assumed his garments once more, and remarking that he
had a train to catch, hastened off, again assuring me that he would
call in a week, on his return from the North.

It was not until he had been gone several minutes that I remembered
that I had forgotten to ask his name. I certainly expected him to be
back at the end of the week--but he didn't come, and just then I had
to go away. Now I take him to have been the man, Salter Quick, who was
murdered on the Northumberland coast--no doubt for the sake of those
jewels. As for their value, I estimated it, from my cursory
examination of them, to have been certainly not less than eighty
thousand pounds.

I folded up the statement and restored it to Scarterfield.

"What do you think of that?" he asked.

"Salter Quick, without a doubt," I answered. "It corroborates Baxter's
story of the