r father to be absolutely innocent, but I believe that he knows no
more than a child unborn of Marbury's murder, and I'm doing my best to
find out who that murderer was. By the by, since you'll see all about
it in tomorrow morning's _Watchman_, I may as well tell you that I've
found out who Marbury really was. He----"

At this moment Spargo's door was opened and in walked Ronald Breton. He
shook his head at sight of the two sisters.

"I thought I should find you here," he said. "Jessie said she was
coming to see you, Spargo. I don't know what good you can do--I don't
see what good the most powerful newspaper in the world can do. My
God!--everything's about as black as ever it can be. Mr. Aylmore--I've
just come away from him; his solicitor, Stratton, and I have been with
him for an hour--is obstinate as ever--he will not tell more than he
has told. Whatever good can you do, Spargo, when he won't speak about
that knowledge of Marbury which he must have?"

"Oh, well!" said Spargo. "Perhaps we can give him some information
about Marbury. Mr. Aylmore has forgotten that it's not such a difficult
thing to rake up the past as he seems to think it is. For example, as I
was just telling these young ladies, I myself have discovered who
Marbury really was."

Breton started.

"You have? Without doubt?" he exclaimed.

"Without reasonable doubt. Marbury was an ex-convict."

Spargo watched the effect of this sudden announcement. The two girls
showed no sign of astonishment or of unusual curiosity; they received
the news with as much unconcern as if Spargo had told them that Marbury
was a famous musician. But Ronald Breton started, and it seemed to
Spargo that he saw a sense of suspicion dawn in his eyes.

"Marbury--an ex-convict!" he exclaimed. "You mean that?"

"Read your _Watchman_ in the morning," said Spargo. "You'll find the
whole story there--I'm going to write it tonight when you people have
gone. It'll make good reading."

Evelyn and Jessie Aylmore took Spargo's hint and went away, Spargo
seeing them to the door with another assurance of his belief in their
father's innocence and his determination to hunt down the real
criminal. Ronald Breton went down with them to the street and saw them
into a cab, but in another minute he was back in Spargo's room as
Spargo had expected. He shut the door carefully behind him and turned
to Spargo with an eager face.

"I say, Spargo, is that really so?" he asked. "About Marbury b