A laugh went round the table. "Accompanied by the wearer, mademoiselle," said Mr. Dare, continuing the account of Samuel Lynn's adventure. "Thus the fact of there being two cloaks is established," he proceeded. "Still, that tells nothing; unless the owner of the other has access to Mr. Ashley's counting-house. I pointed this fact out to them. But Delves--which is most unaccountable--differed from me; and when we parted he expressed an opinion, with that confident nod of his, that it was not Halliburton's cloak which had been in the mischief at the butcher's, but the other." "What a thundering falsehood!" burst forth Herbert Dare. "_Sir!_" cried Mr. Dare, while all around the table stared at Herbert's excited manner. Herbert had the grace to feel ashamed of his abrupt and intemperate rudeness. "I beg your pardon, sir; I spoke in my surprise. I mean that Delves must be telling a falsehood, if he seeks to throw the guilt off Halliburton. The very fact of the fellow's wearing a strange cloak such as that, when he went to get rid of the cheque, must be proof positive of Halliburton's guilt." "So I think," acquiesced Mr. Dare. "What sort of a cloak is this that you laugh at, and call scarce?" inquired the governess. "The greatest scarecrow of a thing you can conceive, mademoiselle," responded Mr. Dare. "I had the pleasure of seeing it to-day on Halliburton. It is a dark green-and-blue Scotch plaid, made very full, with a turned up collar lined with red, and a bit of fur edging it." "Plaid? Plaid?" repeated mademoiselle. "Why it must be----" "What?" asked Mr. Dare, for she had stopped. "It must be very ugly," concluded she. But somehow Mr. Dare gathered an impression that it was not what she had been about to say. "What is it that Delves says about the cloaks?" eagerly questioned Cyril. "I cannot make it out." "Delves says he knows who it is that owns the other; and that it was the other which went to change the cheque at White's." "What mysterious words, papa!" cried Adelaide. "The cloak went to change the cheque!" "They were Delves' own words," replied Mr. Dare. "He did seem remarkably mysterious over it." "Is he going to hunt up the other cloak?" resumed Cyril. "I conclude so. He was pondering over it for some time before he could remember who it was that he had seen wear a similar cloak. When the recollection came to him, he started up with surprise. Sharp men, these police-officers!" added Mr. Dare. "They forget nothing." "And they ferret out everything," said Herbert with some testiness. "Instead of wasting time over vain speculations touching cloaks, why does not he secure Halliburton? It is impossible that the other cloak--if there is another--could have had anything to do with the affair." "I dropped a note to Delves after he left me, recommending him to follow up the suspicion on Halliburton, whether Mr. Ashley is agreeable or not," said Mr. Dare. "I have rarely in my life met with a stronger case of presumptive evidence."