n
such desperate straits it is inevitable that his name will be linked
with this crime. Poor Belle! Poor Aunt Clara!"

I could not dispute the reasonableness of her conclusion; her own mind
had already linked the man with the crime. But what was the nature of
the demand he was expecting? Her disclosure was mystifying. It was
not probable that he had anticipated failure for his Board of Trade
operations at such an early date.

"It was a foolish step, my coming here to see you," Miss Cooper
complained heartbrokenly; "it places me in a bitterly cruel position.
Knowing what I do now, if I remain silent I may be to blame for Belle
suffering through Royal's unjust accusation; if I speak I will be
treacherous to the very hearth that has fostered me."

I am glad that my chief's cold, unfeeling eye did not rest upon me at
that moment. Her distress was mine. And I could not turn aside from
the way which was opening so plainly before me.

Here, now, I had two motives for the murder: Fluette's mad desire for
the ruby and, since the ashes of old romance had been so ruthlessly
stirred, the most powerful of all human motives--jealousy.

It was possible, too, that a third person had been in the house last
night; but if so, one of the two men had lied. The bit of candle found
by me on the rear stairs had adhered to somebody's shoe while still
plastic; if either Burke or Maillot had used these stairs at or about
the time of the murder, then both had studiously kept the fact from me.
It was possible that one of the two could have made fast the front door
behind a fugitive, without the other's knowledge; Burke, for example,
before he summoned Maillot.

But my chief concern now was for this sorely distressed girl. She had
told but the bare truth; her position could scarcely be more cruel.
Her eyes followed me with an expression of such tragic helplessness
that I knew the issue was left for me to decide. I sprang up and
commenced walking the floor. It was a long time before I could make up
my mind just what to say, and during my troubled cogitation there was
not an interruption, not a sound, from her.

By and by I paused, and stood looking down into the wistful face.

"Miss Cooper," I began, "it seems that you trust me, and, believe me, I
'm keenly sensible of the responsibility. I shall ask nothing of you
which I think you can't freely perform; nothing that is not for the
best interests of all concerned--all for whom yo