t had been tampered with, did you unlock it?"

"There wasn't any need," said Alison. "You can see for yourself the
opening in the side is so large--"

"Then you didn't unlock it?"

"No."

"That only makes it the more mysterious. Because, you see, it's unlocked
now."

There was a concerted movement of astonishment.

"How do you make that out, sir?" demanded the captain.

"You can see for yourself (to borrow Miss Landis' phrase) if you'll only
use your eyes, as I have. The side clasps are in place, all right, but
the slide on the lock itself is pushed a trifle to the left; which it
couldn't be if the bag were locked."

There was a hint of derision in the little man's voice; and his
sarcastic smile was flickering round his thin lips as he put out one
hand, drew the bag to him, lifted the clasps, and pushing back the
lock-slide, opened it wide.

"The thot plickens," he observed gravely. "For my part I am unable to
imagine any bold and enterprising crook taking the trouble to cut open
this bag when the most casual examination would have shown him that it
wasn't locked."

"He might 've done it as a blind...." Manvers suggested.

"Officer!" piped Iff in a plaintive voice--"he's in again."

The purser, colouring to the temples, took a step toward the little man,
his hands twitching, but at a gesture from the captain paused,
controlled himself and fell back.

For a few moments there was quiet in the cabin, while those present
digested Iff's conclusions and acknowledged their logic irrefragable.
Staff caught Alison staring at the man as if fascinated, with a curious,
intense look in her eyes the significance of which he could not fathom.

Then the pause was brought to an end by the captain. He shifted his
position abruptly, so that he towered over Iff, scowling down upon him.

"That will do," he said ominously. "I'm tired of this; say what you
will, you haven't hoodwinked me, and you shan't."

"My dear sir!" protested Iff in amazement. "Hoodwink _you_? Why, I'm
merely trying to make you see--"

"You've succeeded in making me see one thing clearly: that you know more
about this robbery than you've any right to know."

"Oh, you-all make me tired," complained Iff. "Now you have just heard
Miss Landis declare that this collar of pearls vanished between, say,
five-thirty and five-forty-five. Well, I can prove by the testimony of
three other passengers, and I don't know how many more, to say nothing
of your smoke