but
I've found out who didn't do it, and that's something."

"Oh, yes, decidedly!" flung back the duke, with another sarcastic laugh.
"Wonderfully brainy, that! Not more than two or three million people in
Great Britain who could tell you that Napoleon didn't do it, and the
Black Prince didn't do it, and it's twopence to a teacup that
Shakespeare hadn't any hand in it at all. You'll be out-Cleeking Cleek
by the time you've sucked the head off that cane. Well, whatever other
amazing thing have you 'unearthed'? What's next--eh?"

"Only this," said Cleek quietly, making a feint of dropping his cane and
stooping to recover it. Then he moved like a quick-leaping animal. There
was a sharp metallic "click-click," a frightened scream from Mrs.
Glossop, a half-indignant, wholly excited roar from the captain, and the
duke, glancing toward them, saw that they both had got to their feet in
a sort of panic and were standing there, white, quaking, and handcuffed
together.

"Good Lord!" began the duke. "Look here, Mr. Narkom--I say! This idiot's
out of his head."

"More than out of it!" swung in the captain furiously. "To people in our
position! Good God! I can stand a fool as far as any man can, Mr.
Narkom, but when it comes to this---- Look here, you, Mr. Woodhead, or
Thickhead, or whatever your infernal name is----"

"Call a spade a spade, my dear captain. The name is Cleek, if you can't
remember my other."

"Cleek!" The duke repeated it with a sort of gulp; the captain spat it
out as though it were something red-hot, and the captain's wife merely
whined it and fainted.

"Yes, Captain--Cleek! Oh, I've got you, my friend, got you foul!" said
Cleek in reply. "All but ruined by the failure of the gold reefs and the
milling and mining companies last autumn, weren't you, and have been
playing a bluff game and living on your credit ever since? A pretty
little scheme you two beauties hatched up between you to get the old
duchess into your clutches, to rob her of the Siva stones, and to have
Mrs. Glossop and your Hindu ally slip over to India with them and claim
the reward before the truth of your financial condition leaked out! Oh,
yes; I've got you, my friend, got you tight and fast.

"And, Captain, I've got something more as well! I've got the place where
the panel slides in the striped wall-paper and leads to the wardrobe
with the false back in your own room; I've got your private papers; I've
got the safety razor-blade, and