ite the sort of person to--And yet he might--he was in
trouble--"

"Money trouble?" asked Hinkle. "They say these Russians have a perfect
genius for debt. I had a little inspiration, since I saw you, but there
doesn't seems to be anything in it, so far." He addressed himself to
Clementina, but he included Gregory in what he said. "It struck me that
he might have been running his board, and had used this drowning episode
as a blind. But I've been around to his hotel, and he's settled up,
all fair and square enough. The landlord tried to think of something he
hadn't paid, but he couldn't; and I never saw a man try harder, either."
Clementina smiled; she put her hand to her mouth to keep from laughing;
but Gregory frowned his distress in the untimely droning.

"I don't give up my theory that it's a fake of some kind, though. He
could leave behind a good many creditors besides his landlord. The
authorities have sealed up his effects, and they've done everything but
call out the fire department; that's on duty looking after the freshet,
and it couldn't be spared. I'll go out now and slop round a little
more in the cause," Hinkle looked down at his shoes and his drabbled
trousers, and wiped the perspiration from his face, "but I thought I'd
drop in, and tell you not to worry about it, Miss Clementina. I would
stake anything you pleased on Mr. Belsky's safety. Mr. Gregory, here,
looks like he would be willing to take odds," he suggested.

Gregory commanded himself from his misery to say, "I wish I could
believe--I mean--"

"Of course, we don't want to think that the man's a fraud, any more than
that he's dead. Perhaps we might hit upon some middle course. At any
rate, it's worth trying."

"May I--do you object to my joining you?" Gregory asked.

"Why, come!" Hinkle hospitably assented. "Glad to have you. I'll be back
again, Miss Clementina!"

Gregory was going away without any form of leavetaking; but he turned
back to ask, "Will you let me come back, too?"

"Why, suttainly, Mr. Gregory," said Clementina, and she went to find
Mrs. Lander, whom she found in bed.

"I thought I'd lay down," she explained. "I don't believe I'm goin' to
be sick, but it's one of my pooa days, and I might just as well be in
bed as not." Clementina agreed with her, and Mrs. Lander asked: "You
hea'd anything moa?"

"No. Mr. Hinkle has just been he'a, but he hadn't any news."

Mrs. Lander turned her face toward the wall. "Next thing, he'll