es down there
and announced that you were about to leave the country."

"That is correct," said Prale. "I made the million I went down there to
make. Honduras is all right in some ways, but a man likes to live with
his own kind. My home was in New York, and so, naturally, I decided to
return here."

"Did you not tell some of your friends and acquaintances, before you
left, that you were returning to New York for a certain purpose."

"I suppose that I did. My purpose was no secret. I had my pile and
wanted to enjoy life a bit and perhaps I wanted to show off a bit, too.
That was only natural, I suppose. I am proud of my success."

"Did you not hint that the purpose was something sinister--that you were
going to have revenge, or something like that?"

"Certainly not."

"Very well; let us get on," said the captain of detectives. "You say
that you first met Rufus Shepley aboard the _Manatee_?"

"Never saw him in my life until I met him in the smoking room on the
ship, and never had heard his name before."

"That is peculiar. Mr. Shepley was a man of large affairs."

"But I had been in Honduras for ten years, out of touch with men of
affairs in the United States," Prale replied. "I did the most of my
business with firms in South America."

"Just how did you happen to meet Mr. Shepley?"

"In the smoking room. We spoke, as passengers are liable to speak to
each other on a boat or a train. We talked of ordinary things and
exchanged cards."

"Did you happen to _play_ cards?"

"One evening, for a short time. But the game did not amount to anything,
and we quit early. Are you trying to insinuate that I killed the man as
the outcome of a gambling quarrel?"

"Nothing of the sort," said the captain, "Let us get on. You had no
trouble with Mr. Shepley on the ship--no trouble of any sort?"

"Not the slightest. We parted good friends just before the ship docked.
I went to my stateroom for my things and I suppose that he did the
same."

"When did you see him next?" the captain asked.

"Last evening, in the lobby of a hotel on Broadway," said Prale.

"What happened then?"

"Ah, I see where you are trying to get the motive," Prale said. "But I
think that you will agree with me, before we are done, that it is a slim
thing upon which to hang a serious charge of murder. I saw Mr. Shepley
sitting in the lobby and went up and spoke to him. We had been friendly
on the ship, I was feeling lonesome, and was glad to find som