wn. "We had some words," he
said, hesitating slightly, "but they were not of any serious
consequence. We had a slight disagreement about the price he was to be
paid for his services in procuring for me the emerald in addition to the
other arrangement, of which I have already told you."

"And the matter was not settled before he left you?"

"No--" the Major hesitated perceptibly and seemed to be choosing his
words with the utmost care--"it was not--but we agreed to leave it until
the morning."

"You were displeased with Mr. Ashton, were you not? You quarreled
violently?"

"I--we did not agree," stammered the Major.

"Did Mr. Ashton threaten to take the stone elsewhere, in case you would
not agree to pay his price?"

"He mentioned something of the sort, I believe," said the Major.

"To which you objected strongly?"

"I protested, most certainly. I regarded the stone as my property. He
acted as my agent only."

McQuade remained silent for some moments, then turned to Major Temple.

"Major Temple," he said, "I am obliged to go into the town for the
remainder of the afternoon, but I shall be back here this evening. I
shall leave one of my men on the premises. When I return, I should like
very much to have you tell me the complete history of this jewel, this
emerald Buddha, which has evidently been the cause of all this trouble.
No doubt Mr. Ashton told you the story of his efforts to obtain it,
while in China, and of the way in which he succeeded. Possibly, when we
have a better understanding of what this jewel may mean to the real
owners of it, we may the better understand how far they would go in
their efforts to recover it."

"I shall be very happy indeed to do so," said Major Temple. "It is a
most interesting and remarkable story, I can assure you."

After McQuade had gone, I strolled about the grounds for the larger part
of the afternoon, trying to get my mind off the gloomy events which had
filled it all the morning to the exclusion of everything else. I said to
Major Temple before I left him that I regretted the necessity of
remaining as an uninvited guest at his house pending the inquest, and
suggested that I might remove myself and my belongings to Exeter, but he
would not hear of it. I strolled into the town, however, later in the
afternoon, after trying vainly to make some sketches, and dispatched a
telegram to my mother, in Torquay, advising her that I would be delayed
in joining her. On my way bac