“Oh, come to see me whenever you have any fresh evidence or any news,” she urged him. “After the funeral, may be too late. Follow up all trails—spare no effort. I may be a peculiar person, Mr Belknap, but I can’t help it. I never thought I was of a revengeful nature, but I think it is a righteous indignation that I have now. And I will do anything, spend any amount to find the murderer of my brother.” “You are his heir?” Belknap asked, casually. “I have not inquired into that as yet,” was the reply, spoken rather coldly. “I don’t even know whether my brother left a will or not. Mr Lane is his lawyer.” “My question was not prompted by idle curiosity,” Belknap assured her, “but it is of importance to know who will benefit financially by the death of this rich man.” “If he left no will,” Mrs Lindsay informed him, “I am the only heir. If he left a will, I’ve no idea as to its contents.” “I must inquire of Lane, then; though doubtless he will see you on the matter very soon.” Belknap departed and first thing he did was to put an advertisement in the Lost and Found columns of several evening papers. And the next afternoon his zeal was rewarded. He had instructed the owner of the collar to call at a small shop on a side street, which had no apparent connection with Mr Robert Gleason or his affairs. By arrangement with the proprietor, Belknap himself was behind the counter and greeted the sweetly smiling young woman who came for the fur. “Are you sure it’s yours?” Belknap asked the fashionably dressed little person. “No; are you?” she replied, saucily. “But I can describe mine.” “Go ahead, then.” “It’s a soft, gray fur, squirrel it’s called. And it has _a_ label inside with the name of the store where it was bought.” “Yes? And the store is——?” “Cheapman’s Department Store.” She smiled triumphantly. “Guess you’ll have to give up the goods!” “It looks that way,” Belknap smiled. “Now where did you lose it?” “Haven’t the least idea. Somewhere between starting out from home and getting back there.” “Day before yesterday?” “Yep. I went to a whole lot of places——” “Mention some. You see, the store you speak of sells a good many fur collars, so it all depends on where you left yours.” The girl’s face fell. “Oh, come now,” she said, “s’pose I don’t want to tell?” “Then I shall think you’re putting up a game on me, and trying to get a fur collar that doesn’t belong to you.” “Oh, well, it doesn’t. But it does belong to a friend of mine—and I’m after it for her.” “And she doesn’t want to admit where she lost it?” “I don’t know why she wouldn’t. But you see, I don’t know all the places she went to, and——” “Look here, Miss—you’ll have to give your name, you know.” By this time the girl looked decidedly frightened. “I don’t want to,” she said, almost crying. “Let the old fur go—I don’t want it! I wish I’d kept out of this!” “Tell me who sent you here, and you can keep out of it.” The girl brightened decidedly, and looked at Belknap.