quiries about the late Alexander Minchin, who,
I believe, once--"

"Quite right! Quite right!" cried Crofts, as the purple turned a normal
red in his sanguine countenance. "Alexander Minchin--poor fellow--to be
sure! Take a seat, Inspector, take a seat. Happy to afford you any
information in my power."

If Mr. Crofts looked relieved, however, as many a decent citizen might
under similar visitation, it was a very real relief to Langholm not to
have been found out at a glance. He took the proffered seat with the
greater readiness on noting how near it was to the door.

"The death of Mr. Minchin is, as you know, still a mystery--"

"I didn't know it," interrupted Crofts, who had quite recovered his
spirits. "I thought the only mystery was how twelve sane men could have
acquitted his wife."

"That," said Langholm, "was the opinion of many at the time; but it is
one which we are obliged to disregard, whether we agree with it or not.
The case still engages our attention, and must do so until we have
explored every possible channel of investigation. What I want from you,
Mr. Crofts, is any information that you can give me concerning Mr.
Minchin's financial position at the time of his death."

"It was bad," said Mr. Crofts, promptly; "about as bad as it could be.
He had one lucky flutter, and it would have been the ruin of him if he
had lived. He backed his luck for more than it was worth, and his luck
deserted him on the spot. Yes, poor old devil!" sighed the sympathetic
Crofts: "he thought he was going to make his pile out of hand, but in
another week he would have been a bankrupt."

"Had you known him long, Mr. Crofts?"

"Not six months; it was down at Brighton we met, quite by chance, and
got on talking about Westralians. It was I put him on to his one good
spec. His wife was with him at the time--couldn't stand the woman! She
was much too good for me and my missus, to say nothing of her own
husband. I remember one night on the pier--"

"I won't trouble you about Brighton, Mr. Crofts," Langholm interrupted,
as politely as he could. "Mr. Minchin was not afterwards a partner of
yours, was he?"

"Never; though I won't say he mightn't have been if things had panned
out differently, and he had gone back to Westralia with some capital.
Meanwhile he had the run of my office, and that was all."

"And not even the benefit of your advice?"

"He wouldn't take it, once he was bitten with the game."

Thus far Langholm ha