onable to me, to _open the letter at once_.'"

"Aha! you recall that now?"

"I do."

"And you are not mistaken?"

"I am not."

"Then he did admit the possibility that there might arise a claimant ere
the expiration of the twenty years?"

"He did practically, when he answered my question as I have stated."

CHAPTER III.

AN EXTRAORDINARY CROSS-EXAMINATION--A THEORY AT
LAST--WHITE SAND AND JERSEY MUD--WORKING ON A SLIGHT
CLUE--AN INSPIRATION--THE MAN WITH THE DIARY--A
PROSPECT.

Again Jack became thoughtful. He appreciated that his questions were
developing strange and directing admissions. After some little time he
resumed his questions. Our readers will remember that our hero had
adopted a line of interrogations in line with a theory that had been
suggested in his mind. He asked:

"Did you observe in the securities that they had been wet?"

"No."

"Now mark well this next question, sir: Did you notice any white soil?"

"Great Moses!" ejaculated Mr. Townsend, "young man, who are you--what
are you?"

"I am a detective; you have my card; but please answer my question."

"Yes, sir, when I opened the package of securities I observed that some
white sand fell on my lap. I remember brushing it off--yes, it's
marvelous that you should know this. Are you the heir, or did you meet
the man, or do you know him, or did some one tell you, or am I
dreaming?"

"None of your propositions, sir, are correct; I am merely shadowing down
to facts, going logically to work to find a clue."

"But you must have some basis for these questions?"

"Only such as come to me."

"No facts?"

"None whatever; I never heard of the affair until you related the
circumstances to me within the hour, but I am reasoning on certain
lines. I may project several theories and consider them all. We have
made a little advance; we have learned that the strange man who
deposited the fortune with you came from New Jersey; we have reason to
believe that his _farm_ was somewhere near the seashore."

"Yes, yes, I see, this is wonderful. Why, the detective business is easy
enough if you only know how to go about it."

Jack laughed and said:

"Yes, it is easy, but there is another mystery to solve. How did you
cash those drafts on the London solicitors? Did you not receive some
intimation from them?"

"They were drafts drawn by themselves on bankers; in fact, they were
indorsed by them to no particular individual. I sent them through