After we had rounded a bend of the shore, and were out of sight of the Remsen house, he said, very seriously: “So you proposed to compound a felony, Gray?” All at once, I remembered the book Alma had given me to destroy. I had forgotten it for the few moments we were taking leave, but I didn’t blame myself for that, as I considered it hidden in my overcoat pocket, and my overcoat, folded inside out completely protected it. Had Keeley found it? “What do you mean?” “That’s the proper response. Well, I mean, when a lady gives you a book to destroy, why don’t you destroy it?” He sat in the stern, facing me and steering. As I looked at him, ready to give vent to my wrath, he said, with a friendly smile: “Hold on, Gray. Don’t fly off the handle. Do you know what the book is?” “No, I don’t, but I can tell you——” “If you can’t tell me the name of the book, nothing you can tell me is of any consequence. Can’t you guess the title?” His grave tone and serious face gave me a hint. I stared at him, unbelieving. “You don’t mean——” I stammered. “Of course I do. It is _Detective Stories of All Nations_, Volume VIII.” He held it up, and then my rage boiled over. “You—you took that from my pocket!” “Of course I did. And I shall keep an eye on you after this. Gray, try to recognize what you are doing. Try to recognize what I am doing. Or to put it plainer, remember that I am doing only my duty, and you—are obstructing my honest efforts.” His straightforward glance and his friendly smile won the day, and I mumbled miserably, “What can I do, Kee? I love her so.” “I know, I know, and it complicates matters terribly.” “Shall I go away, back to New York?” “That would be the best plan, but I know you won’t do it.” “No,” I said, “I won’t do it.” “Then, if you stay here, I mean, if you stay with us, you’ve got to play fair.” “Fair by you or fair by Alma?” “Both. Don’t think, boy, that I don’t understand. But I can’t have my work blocked by your interference. Heretofore, you’ve been a help on my cases——” “But this is different!” I cried. “Yes, this is different. So, since you won’t go back to New York, and I don’t want you to stay at Deep Lake under any other roof but ours, what’s the answer?” Putting it up to me like this, I couldn’t combat him or even rebuff him. He was playing fair, all his cards on the table. I must in all honour and justice do likewise. “It would be horrid,” I said, at last, “to stay here at the Inn, or anything like that. And I can’t—Oh, Kee, I can’t go back to New York. But I most certainly propose to play the game. Now, I can only say that if I learn anything further about Alma that I think you want to know, I will tell you, and, on the other hand, if you learn anything, you must tell me.” “Spoken like your own true self,” and Moore fairly beamed on me. “Now, tell me, did she ask you to destroy the book? For of course I only assumed that.”