confident that Miles was
mistaken. The detective, however, showed no signs of discouragement, but
continued in the same urbane tone:

"You think they were not, madam, I am sure; but we know they were. You
have a maid-servant here," he went on; "please send for her."

"What for?" Mrs. Bunce asked with some symptoms of alarm, I thought. "Do
you wish to question her?"

"No," Miles answered. "She took the bills and I must arrest her."

Mrs. Bunce hesitated for awhile and seemed uncertain of her course, but
at last said:

"I don't want anybody arrested in my house--it will hurt its reputation,
you know--and if you will wait I will see her about it myself."

"Very well, we will wait, but you must tell her to give up the bills, as
otherwise we must arrest her. This is a very serious matter. You can say
to her," he continued, "that if we get the bills there will be no more
trouble about it."

The woman left us and was gone for about five minutes, during which
Miles said to me that she would bring back the money with her. I was not
so sure of it and said nothing, but when she returned she handed him
three fifty-dollar bills, saying:

"You were right, she did have the money, the hussy; and here it is."

"Thank you," said Miles; "were they found in the pocket of the ulster,
do you know?"

"Yes, the outside pocket," she answered.

Miles looked at her severely.

"Mrs. Bunce," he said, "if I were you I would admit I found the bills
myself, otherwise it may be awkward for you when we have to put you and
your servant on the stand to prove where they were found. This gentleman
and myself will not say anything about this conversation and there will
be no trouble if you simply tell the truth about it."

The woman broke down finally and began whining something about a poor
woman not being allowed to keep what she found in her own house and what
belonged to her by right, but Miles did not wait to listen but left the
house, I following him.

Once alone with him again I could not restrain the expression of my
disappointment.

"That was a very clever piece of work, indeed," I said, "but
unfortunately does the case of Winters harm instead of good."

"How?" he asked.

"Why, the missing bills having now been accounted for," I answered,
"there is nothing to show that any one else was on the scene that night
or to furnish a motive for the crime, and so there remains no one but
Winters to whom suspicion can attach."

"You don