ce of gaining a piece of jewellery to make money out of. Moreover,
had he stolen the brooch, he would hardly have talked so openly of the
fence he alluded to. Hay the young man could not suspect, as there was
positively no reason why he should steal so comparatively trifling an
article. Sharper as he was, Hay flew at higher game, and certainly would
not waste his time, or risk his liberty, in stealing what would bring
him in only a few shillings.

"Why don't you ask the detectives to search for the brooch," said Hay,
smiling.

"It is in the detective's possession," said Paul, sullenly; "but we want
to know how it came to pin Norman's lips together."

"I can't imagine, unless he picked it up. If lost at all it must have
been lost in the street the old man lived in, and you told me he wanted
the brooch badly."

"But he wasn't on the spot?"

"Wot," cried Tray, suddenly, "the one-eyed cove? Ho, yuss, but warn't
he? Why, when they was a-gitin' the ambulance, an' the peelers wos
a-crowdin' round, he come dancing like billeo out of his shorp."

Beecot thought this was strange, as he understood from Deborah and Bart
and Sylvia that Norman had known nothing of the accident at the time.
Then again Norman himself had not mentioned it when he paid that visit
to the hospital within a few hours of his death. "I don't think that's
true," he said to Tray sharply.

"Oh, cuss it," said that young gentleman, "wot d' I care. Th' ole cove
come an' danced in the mud, and then he gits int' his shorp again. Trew
is trew, saiy wot y' like, mister--ho."

Beecot turned his back on the boy. After all, he was not worth arguing
with, and a liar by instinct. Still, in this case he might have spoken
the truth. Norman might have appeared on the scene of the accident and
have picked up the brooch. Paul thought he would tell Hurd this, and,
meantime, held out his hand to Hay. In spite of the bad character he had
heard of that young man, he saw no reason why he should not be civil to
him, until he found him out. Meantime, he was on his guard.

"One moment," said Grexon, grasping the outstretched hand. "I have
something to say to you," and he walked a little way with Paul. "I am
going in to see Pash on business which means a little money to me. I was
the unfortunate cause of your accident, Beecot, so I think you might
accept twenty pounds or so from me."

"No, thank you all the same," said Paul gratefully, yet with a certain
amount of caution.