soap in the wash-room. No one would
think to look for them there, and even if so, there would be nothing
against me. Afterwards, I should have gone back, taken the soap, and the
jewels would have been mine."

"You are mistaken."

"How so?"

"You were the first person searched, and I watched you till you left the
train. It would have been difficult for you to come to New York from
Stamford on another train, and then gain access to the coaches on a side
track and in the hands of the scrub-women. Even then you would have
failed, for I took all the soap away, and substituted new cakes before
the second man was searched."

A smile on Mr. Mitchel's face proved that he was listening, and that he
was pleased at the detective's cleverness. The Frenchman shrugged his
shoulders, and said, laughing:

"There, you see, I should never make a thief. Besides there was the
satchel. I had forgotten about that. One could not hide a satchel in a
cake of soap."

"But he could throw it out of a window, to mislead the man who picked
it up," replied the detective.

"You are shrewd, Mr. Barnes," said Mr. Thauret, after a keen scrutiny,
which Mr. Barnes thought betokened uneasiness. "But," he continued,
"will you tell me how you think the thief hid the treasure on the
train?"

"He hid it _off_ the train," said Mr. Barnes, quickly, and to his
satisfaction both his men started slightly. Evidently Mr. Mitchel
decided that it was time for him to enter the game, for he crossed and
joined the group, saying as he did so:

"Are you all discussing the train robbery?"

"Oh, yes!" said Dora. "And it is just lovely, the way Mr. Barnes has
found out all about it!"

"Found out all about it? Has he, indeed?"

"Yes! He knows who the thief is, and that he hid the jewels off the
train."

"How very clever of you, Mr. Barnes, to discover that. Where else could
he have hidden them, since the train itself and everybody on it was
searched?"

It irritated Mr. Barnes, the way in which Mr. Mitchel always seemed to
belittle his skill. He was a trifle angry, therefore, as he made his
next bold stroke.

"I will tell you, ladies and gentlemen, where the thief might have
hidden the jewels, on the train--a place which no one thought of
searching, not even myself."

"Oh! tell us!" exclaimed Dora. The two men looked interested, nothing
more. Emily had come behind Mr. Mitchel, and slyly slipped her hand
within his.

"The woman carried the jewels in a sat