The Press., 1917-07-19

n
 shock of surprise arrested her. Fol.
 lowing the direction of her glance,
 saw 8 plain table, which stood in the
 center of the room, seemingly an ad'
 dition to the ordinary furniture, and
 now Uttered with great number Of
 unframed engravings, upon the midst of which there lay lady's hand bag The mouth of the bag was open and
 gaped at us pathetically like a dying | fish.
 Where is my money?" said Mrs Culver in a strained and whispering tone, and could have fancied that she
 addressed the question to the empty
 bag and that the inanimate creatures
 open mouth replied in the popular
 phrase of the day. You can search
 me-"
 The gifted Kronold wheeled about
 upon the piano stool and sprang to his feet.
 "Why, Mrs Culver" he cried. ''sure- ly it's not pOssible"-
 I interrupted him by suddenly ad- dressing Derby, the butler, who was about to withdraw from the scene.
 Don't go," said I, and then to Mrs. Culver: Pardon me, think 1t is inn portant that Derby should remain. saw him enter this room and leave 1t, and since then he has not been out of my sight. So if anything is missing he has a perfect opportunity to prove his innocence immediately. In justice to him I could not see him lose this chance by absenting himself at this juncture."
 Derby's distress was extreme and Iudicrously obvious. In my mind there was no doubt at all that the missing money was in the mans breast pocket.
 What was the sum?" I asked Mrs. Culver. And in what form was it?"
 Not quite $1O,OOO," she replied. There were nine $1 900 bills," and she gave me the whimsical wOmanly req sons which had led her to close her account with a certain bank and take the sum in cash.
 And you carried so much money in that bagT said I. Tt was a risk"
 "Ah, but this Is not an ordinary bag," said she, aQd, taking it from the table, she closed it and gave it to me. Let me see you open it."
 I was unable to do so, for there was secret spring most ingeniOusly de vised.
 This is the way" said she, taking it from me, and in a moment she had re- placed it upop the table. open.
 Are you sure the money was there when you left this rOom?" l asked.
 Positive" she answered. And. be- sides, the bag was closed. Somebody must have opened it."
 Yes" said Kronold. ''l distinctly remember that it lay upon the table, closed, when l sat down to the piano a few moments ago"
 "I don't remember where l put it, said Mrs Culver. but" she added, with decision, "I know that 1t was shut"
 Ut lay like this," said Kronold. and he put the bag upon. corner of the table, not in the middle, as 1t had lain when my attention was first drawn to it. And now," he continued, there have been only two persons in this room, myself and this servant In this
 
 him. His honor may be as precious to him as mine is to me. So this is what must be done" And he proceeded to empty his pockets.
 But you were at the piano all the time" protested Mrs. Culver. Aside from the absurdity of the idea that you would do such a thing. you really couldn't. you know"
 She turned to me for confirmation. argument. 1t was a perfect certainty that KronOld had played continuously for some time preceding Mrs. Culver's leaving the room. Nevertheless ] yielded to the musicians plea and helped him search himself. He did not have the money.
 Then Derby stepped forward. his hand in his breast pocket, and, with most moving evidences of shame and he produced a letter ad- dressed to Mrs. Culver and bearing the return stamp of a we'll known employ ment agency. He had given her the letter when she came in with KrOnold and had seen her put it upon the table in the drawing room. Some days be fore he had incurred the lady's dis. pleasure. and he feared this communi- cation dealt with the question of his successor, so he had so far .debased himself at the behest of natural curios- ity as to go in and get the letter, in- tending to read it in the hall and re- turn it to its place before Mrs. Culver should miss it.
 But I didn't take the money" he de- clared, with tears in his eyes.
 And, if he had taken it. what in the name of all mystery had he done with it? He could not have hidden it in the hall. because my eyes were on him. and he had been nowhere else except in the drawing room itself, and there not more than one minute. as 1 could testify. Moreover. if Mrs. Culver had left the bag closed. how could Derby have known that the money was in it
 Kronold knew. for Mrs. Culver had told him. but the lady had opened the bag after entering the room and had seen the m"ney in 1t. Therefore if KrOnOld had taken it 1t must still be in the room. But the table was at least fifteen feet distant from the piano. and my own eyes bore witness that Kro- mold had played all the time that he was alone.
 Mrs. Culver evidently believed that Derby had hidden the money in the room, and she began a search. Derby meanwhile was leaning against the wall. a figure of wood. KrOnold took me aside. He had the bag in his hands. and he covertly showed me small moist stain upon it. ..-
 That looks to me like blood" said he. Do you observe that Derby has scratch across two of his fingers?'
 "Yes." answered. "but it doesn't