"I will. Turn her over to me the way she was the day you bought her, and I'll give you $5,000." He paused, and then repeated, stressing the words: "MIND YOU, WITH EVERYTHING IN HER THE WAY IT WAS THE DAY YOU BOUGHT HER." Cleggett fumbled with his fingers in a waistcoat pocket, drew out the torn piece of counterfeit money which he had taken from the dead hand, and flung it on the table. "Five thousand dollars," he said, "in THAT kind of money?" Loge looked at it with eyes that suddenly contracted. Clever dissembler that he was, he could not prevent an involuntary start. He licked his lips, and Cleggett judged that perhaps his mouth felt a little dry. But these were the only signs he made. Indeed, when he spoke it was with something almost like an air of relief. "Come," he said, "now we're down to brass tacks at last on this proposition. Mr. Detective, name your real price." Cleggett did not answer immediately. He appeared to consider his real price. But in reality he was thinking that there was no longer any doubt of the origin of the explosion. Since Loge practically acknowledged the counterfeit money, the man who had died with this piece of it in his hand must have been one of Loge's men. But he only said: "Why do you call me a detective?" Loge shrugged his shoulders. Then he said again: "Your real price?" "What," said Cleggett, trying him out, "do you think of $20,000?" The other gave a long, low whistle. "Gad!" he cried, "what crooks you bulls are." "It's not so much," said Cleggett deliberately, "when one takes everything into consideration." Loge appeared to meditate. Then he said: "That figure is out of the question. I'll give you $10,000 and not a cent more." "You want her pretty badly," said Cleggett. "Or you want what's on her." "Why," said Loge, with an assumption of great frankness, "between you and me I don't care a damn about your boat. I think we understand each other. I'm buying her to get what's on her." "Suppose I sell you what's on her for $10,000 and keep the ship," said Cleggett, wondering what WAS on the Jasper B. "Agreed," said Loge. "Since we're being so frank with one another," said Cleggett, "would you mind telling me why you didn't come to me at the start with an offer to buy, instead of making such a nuisance of yourself?" "Eh?" Loge appeared genuinely surprised. "Why should I pay you any money if I could get it, or destroy it, without that? Besides, how was I to know you could be bought?" Cleggett wondered more than ever what piece of evidence the hold of the Jasper B. contained. He felt certain that it was not merely counterfeit bills. Cleggett determined upon a minute and thorough search of the hold. "You'll send for it?" said Cleggett, still trying to get a more definite idea of what "it" was, without revealing that he did not know. "I'll come myself with a taxicab," said Loge. Cleggett rose, smiling; he had found out as much as he could expect to learn.