rt? Will he give it to her, and then rob her of it? If so, will
she be in the plot, and make a hue and cry, so that the papers may make
a noise? That was a part of the agreement in making his bet. But after
all, what about that button? No explanation explains, which does not
throw a light upon that."

Here Mr. Barnes was interrupted by the announcement that Mr. Randolph
wished to speak with him. It must be remembered that Mr. Randolph was
not aware of the fact that the conversation in the sleeping-car had been
overheard. Brought face to face with Mr. Barnes he felt confused, and
hesitated.

"Mr. Randolph, I believe," said the detective, glancing at the card
which had been sent in. "Be seated. You have come to see me about this
Mitchel case?" The rising inflection with which the last word was spoken
seemed almost unnecessary to Mr. Randolph. For if the man could ask such
a question, he might as well have made it a positive statement. This
assumption of knowledge made him more than ever confident of the skill
of detectives, and especially of the one before him.

"You know that?" said he. "Would you mind telling me how?"

"We detectives are supposed to know everything, are we not?" This was
said with an affable smile, but the answer plainly indicated that Mr.
Barnes preferred not to be interrogated. Mr. Randolph therefore
concluded to hurry through with his unpleasant business.

"Mr. Barnes, I have a confession to make, and----"

"I must interrupt you, to remind you that whatever you say is
unsolicited, and that if you incriminate yourself, the evidence will be
used against you."

"Thank you for your warning, but I have come here that I may not be
incriminated. The facts in brief are simply these." Then he narrated as
accurately as he could recall them, all the circumstances in connection
with the wager. Mr. Barnes listened as though it was all a new story to
him. He even jotted down a few notes on a bit of paper as though for
reference. At the conclusion he said:

"This is a most astounding tale, Mr. Randolph. It is very difficult to
believe that a man like Mr. Mitchel, who certainly seems to be a
gentleman, would undertake to become a criminal simply to win a sum of
money. Now you must have been thinking this over, and if so, you have
some explanation to offer. Would you mind telling it to me?"

"I should be glad to do so," Mr. Randolph spoke eagerly. In his heart he
was fond of his friend, and therefore his th