nd shook
his head.

"No," he said; "no, thank you, I commenced smokin' at the butt end,
I guess. Begun with a pipe, and them things would seem sort of
kindergarten, I'm afraid. No offense meant, you understand. It's all
accordin' to what you've been used to. Well, about the questions. Here's
the first one: Don't it seem to you that the right one to pay for the
doctorin' and nursin' and such of Mr. Moriarty--that's Annie's pa--ought
to be the feller who hurt him? That feller, instead of Caroline?"

"Sure thing! If you know who did it, he's your mark."

"He could be held responsible, couldn't he?"

"Certainly."

"Um-hm. So I thought. And if he was a right-minded chap, he'd be glad to
help the poor critter, providin' he knew what damage he'd done; wouldn't
you think so?"

Malcolm nodded sagely, opened his mouth to speak, and then closed it
again. A sudden recollection came to him, an alarming recollection. He
turned in his chair and looked at his visitor. Captain Elisha met his
gaze frankly.

"Where did this accident happen?" asked Mr. Dunn, his condescending
smile absent.

"At the corner of Saint Nicholas Avenue and One Hundred and
Twenty-Eighth Street. It happened last Friday mornin', a week ago.
And the car that hit him was a yellow one."

Malcolm did not answer. His pale face grew paler, and then flushed a
brilliant red. The captain seemed to feel sorry for him.

"Naturally," he went on, "when I heard about it, I remembered what you
told Mr. Sylvester and me at the club that afternoon. I understand how
'twas, of course. You never thought you'd done any real harm and just
went on, thinkin' 'twas a good joke, much as anything. If you'd known
you'd really hurt the poor old man, you'd have stopped to see him. I
understand that. But--"

"Look here!" interrupted Dunn, sharply, "did Caroline send you to me?"

"Caroline? No, no! She don't know 'twas your automobile at all. I never
said a word to her, 'tain't likely. But afore she spent any of her
money, I thought you'd ought to know, because I was sure you wouldn't
let her. That's the way I'd feel, and I felt 'twas no more'n honest to
give you the chance. I come on my own hook; she didn't know anything
about it."

Malcolm drummed on the desk with nervous fingers. The flush remained on
his face, his cigarette had gone out, and he threw the stump savagely
into the wastepaper basket. Captain Elisha remained silent. At length
the young man spoke.

"Well," he gr