Page:The Master of Mysteries (1912).djvu/63

Rh if you had really done it with crystal gazing! But I don't see how you could be sure, after all. There was White, who might have been Hepson's tool."

"Yes, I had two lines I might have worked on,—White as well as Barrister,—but White had been winning plenty of money, and is well-off, anyway. He wouldn't go around jimmying windows to get things, either."

"Still, I insist you had nothing that absolutely connected Barrister with his own misdeeds."

"Hadn't I? If you had gone into about ten branch express offices in the down-town district as I had, you'd have found out. You recall my package? It was just the same size as the Folio. I finally found the office that I was looking for, and said to the clerk, 'I sent a package to Mr. Hepson two days ago, and he telegraphs that it hasn't been received. So I'm sending this. I wish you'd look it up and see what's the matter. It's from Renold M. White.' Well, the clerk looked over his record of carbon duplicate receipts, and said, There was a package sent from a Mr. Barrister to a Mr. Hepson in Chicago; but none from White.' So I said, 'Never mind,' and left."

The two sat in silence for some time. At last the Master of Mysteries spoke:

"There is just one thing I don't like about this case of the theft of the First Folio Shakespeare."

"What's that?" asked Valeska.

"This is the first time I go on record as not having run down my quarry; but it has paid fairly well for two days' work." And he smiled as he took up an antique volume of the Kabala.