bservation, but after seeing it with a lens, one may readily
find it with the naked eye afterwards. Now take this lens and examine
your button, just at the base of the hair, near the neck. So! What do
you find?"

"By heavens," exclaimed the detective, "This is most important. This is
a Juliet, and if one of your set, it should have a "Q," on it. I believe
that there was an attempt to make that letter, but the tool must have
slipped, and so it is a poor result, a chip in fact, which mars the
continuity of the letter. I doubt if with the eye alone as you looked at
it that day, when I first showed it to you, that you saw any letter at
all."

"You are correct. I simply looked for the "Q," and not finding it, was
satisfied."

"This is serious. This button evidently was made by the same hand that
made yours. It was spoiled, and another cut to replace it. The man who
carved it, or the person who became possessed of it, must and shall
explain to me how it came into the room where the murder was done. You
must tell me now where these buttons were bought."

"I will do so upon one condition."

"Name it."

"That whatever you discover, you will tell me before you act, and that
you will not act before January 1st unless absolutely necessary."

"You mean as to making an arrest?"

"That is precisely what I mean. You need not fear to make the promise. I
will guarantee that your man shall not escape. I know him."

"You know him?" Mr. Barnes was astonished that Mr. Mitchel should make
such an admission.

"Yes, I know him. That is, I am morally certain that I know him. I will
tell you at once, that having the knowledge that I myself was innocent,
I have had an advantage over you, and I have been hunting down this man
all these months. I have good circumstantial evidence against him, but
not enough to warrant an arrest; at least not yet. If you could follow
this clue, and find that it leads to the same man, we could convict
him."

"Will you give me the name of the man whom you suspect?"

"No! That would materially weaken our case. We must get the same result
without collusion. No, you work alone and work quickly, for I
particularly wish the case to be completed by January 1st."

"Why so?"

"It is the day upon which my wager is to be decided, and I shall give a
dinner party, at which I anticipate some fun. By the way, don't forget
that you won a dinner from me on a wager. Accept an invitation to dine
with me January 1st, a