"Did you not hint that the purpose was something sinister--that you were going to have revenge, or something like that?" "Certainly not." "Very well; let us get on," said the captain of detectives. "You say that you first met Rufus Shepley aboard the _Manatee_?" "Never saw him in my life until I met him in the smoking room on the ship, and never had heard his name before." "That is peculiar. Mr. Shepley was a man of large affairs." "But I had been in Honduras for ten years, out of touch with men of affairs in the United States," Prale replied. "I did the most of my business with firms in South America." "Just how did you happen to meet Mr. Shepley?" "In the smoking room. We spoke, as passengers are liable to speak to each other on a boat or a train. We talked of ordinary things and exchanged cards." "Did you happen to _play_ cards?" "One evening, for a short time. But the game did not amount to anything, and we quit early. Are you trying to insinuate that I killed the man as the outcome of a gambling quarrel?" "Nothing of the sort," said the captain, "Let us get on. You had no trouble with Mr. Shepley on the ship--no trouble of any sort?" "Not the slightest. We parted good friends just before the ship docked. I went to my stateroom for my things and I suppose that he did the same." "When did you see him next?" the captain asked. "Last evening, in the lobby of a hotel on Broadway," said Prale. "What happened then?" "Ah, I see where you are trying to get the motive," Prale said. "But I think that you will agree with me, before we are done, that it is a slim thing upon which to hang a serious charge of murder. I saw Mr. Shepley sitting in the lobby and went up and spoke to him. We had been friendly on the ship, I was feeling lonesome, and was glad to find somebody with whom I could talk. Besides, he had expressed a desire to see me again." "Well, what happened?" "Something I am at a loss to understand. He berated me for daring to address him. He acted like a maniac. I rebuked him for his manner, and the hotel detective advised us to leave the place until we cooled off, or something like that." "Who left first?" the captain asked. "I did. I was angry because there was a crowd around and I hated the scene that had been caused. I went through the main entrance and stepped to the curb." "Shepley follow you?" "Almost immediately." "And you went up to him and threatened him, didn't you?" Prale thought a moment. "I told him that I didn't know why he had insulted me, but I didn't want him to do it again." "What else?" the captain demanded. "I believe I said that I ought to settle with him for what he had said already." "And then----" "And then I went on down the street. The hotel detective, I think, heard me speak to Mr. Shepley."