ointedly.

"Well, of course he may be. But, no; I think that description
fits him all right," said Chandler; but he also spoke in a
hesitating voice.

"You was saying, Joe, that they found a weapon?" observed Bunting
insinuatingly.

He was glad that Ellen allowed the discussion to go on--in fact,
that she even seemed to take an intelligent interest in it. She
had come up close to them, and now looked quite her old self again.

"Yes. They believe they've found the weapon what he does his awful
deeds with," said Chandler. "At any rate, within a hundred yards
of that little dark passage where they found the bodies--one at
each end, that was--there was discovered this morning a very
peculiar kind o' knife--'keen as a razor, pointed as a dagger'--
that's the exact words the boss used when he was describing it to
a lot of us. He seemed to think a lot more of that clue than of
the other--I mean than of the description people gave of the chap
who walked quickly by with a newspaper parcel. But now there's a
pretty job in front of us. Every shop where they sell or might a'
sold, such a thing as that knife, including every eating-house in
the East End, has got to be called at!"

"Whatever for?" asked Daisy.

"Why, with an idea of finding out if anyone saw such a knife fooling
about there any time, and, if so, in whose possession it was at the
time. But, Mr. Bunting"--Chandler's voice changed; it became
businesslike, official--"they're not going to say anything about
that--not in newspapers--till to-morrow, so don't you go and
tell anybody. You see, we don't want to frighten the fellow off.
If he knew they'd got his knife--well, he might just make himself
scarce, and they don't want that! If it's discovered that any knife
of that kind was sold, say a month ago, to some customer whose ways
are known, then--then--"

"What'll happen then?" said Mrs. Bunting, coming nearer.

"Well, then, nothing'll be put about it in the papers at all," said
Chandler deliberately. "The only objec' of letting the public know
about it would be if nothink was found--I mean if the search of
the shops, and so on, was no good. Then, of course, we must try
and find out someone--some private person-like, who's watched that
knife in the criminal's possession. It's there the reward--the
five hundred pounds will come in."

"Oh, I'd give anything to see that knife!" exclaimed Daisy, clasping
her hands together.

"You cruel, bloodthirsty, girl!" crie