the
examination. But the conductors--what did they think?

Already, Eaton reflected, before the finding of the senseless form of
Basil Santoine, there had occurred the disagreeable incident of the
telegram to attract unfavorable attention to him. On the other hand,
might not the questioning of him have been purely formal? Connery
certainly had treated him, at the time of the discovery of Santoine, as
one not of the class to be suspected of being the assailant of
Santoine. Avery, to be sure, had been uglier, more excited and
hostile; but Harriet Santoine again had treated him trustfully and
frankly as one with whom thought of connection with the attack upon her
father was impossible. Eaton told himself that there should be no
danger to himself from this inquiry, directed against no one, but
including comprehensively every one on the train.

As Eaton pretended to read, he could hear behind him the low voices of
the conductors, which grew fainter and fainter as they moved further
away, section by section, down the car. Finally, when the conductors
had left the car, he put his magazine away and went into the men's
compartment to smoke and calm his nerves. His return to America had
passed the bounds of recklessness; and what a situation he would now be
in if his actions brought even serious suspicions against him! He
finished his first cigar and was debating whether to light another,
when he heard voices outside the car, and opening the window and
looking out, he saw Connery and the brakeman struggling through the
snow and making, apparently, some search. They had come from the front
of the train and had passed under his window only an instant before,
scrutinizing the snowbank beside the car carefully and looking under
the car--the brakeman even had crawled under it; now they went on.
Eaton closed the window and lighted his second cigar. Presently
Connery passed the door of the compartment carrying something loosely
wrapped in a newspaper in his hands. Eaton finished his cigar and went
back to his seat in the car.

As he glanced at the seat where he had left the magazine and his locked
traveling-bag, he saw that the bag was no longer there. It stood now
between the two seats on the floor, and picking it up and looking at
it, he found it unfastened and with marks about the lock which told
plainly that it had been forced.

His quick glance around at the other passengers, which showed him that
his discovery of