gang, and when questioned about the man,
said he had known him by sight and that was all.

Less than an hour after he had sent out the messenger, there came a knock
on the door and Tom Ostrello presented himself.

"You are the gentleman that wishes to see me?" he inquired.

"I believe you wish to see me," was the reply, as the detective closed
the door and locked it again. "Sit down, Mr. Ostrello. I am Adam Adams."

"Oh, I--er--I didn't quite recognize you in that dress."

"I suppose not." There was a brief pause. "Mr. Ostrello, if you wish to
speak to me, I am at your disposal for the next hour."

"Thank you." The young commercial traveler cleared his throat. "You
are--I mean, I believe you know the relationship between Miss Bernard and
myself?"

"She has told me something about that."

"She tells me you are her closest friend--that you have really been a
father to her since her own parent died. And she tells me that you are
one of the greatest detectives in the world. I wish I had known that
when we first met--I should have engaged you to clear up the mystery of
this sad affair."

The young man paused again. Evidently it was hard work for him to get
directly at the subject on hand. Adam Adams remained silent.

"I did not imagine that I--well, that I would be connected with this
great crime. I mean, that anybody would suspect that I had done the
deed. It is a fearful thought! That I would kill my own mother! I know
such things have been done, but they must have been done by beasts, not
men. I know I should have spoken of the visit that very morning to my
mother."

"Then you admit that you called at the house?"

"Yes."

"You were dressed in a gray suit and wore a slouch hat, and you entered
by the back way?"

"How did you learn all that?" cried the young commercial traveler in
astonishment.

"Never mind. In coming away you slipped and fell, and your hat dropped
off."

Tom Ostrello nodded. "I understand that somebody must have noticed me
after all. I came in by the back way because I missed the train for
Sidham, and took that which stops only at Chester. It is a short cut
through the woods from Chester Station to the Langmore place. When I
came away I had just time enough to catch another train at Chester, and I
was very anxious to get back to the city, for I had an important
engagement with one of my customers."

"I understand. Proceed, please."

"I came to the house for two