“Well, this corpse ain’t got no pink necklace,” suggested somebody. “Bodies sometimes gets robbed,” said Sailor Smith. Chester Kent stooped over the writhen face, again peering close. Then he straightened up and began pulling thoughtfully at the lobe of his ear. He pulled and pulled, until, as if by that process, he had turned his face toward the cliff. His lips pursed. He began whistling softly, and tunelessly. His gaze was abstracted. “Ain’t seen nothin’ to make you feel bad, have you, Perfessor?” inquired Temporary-Deputy-Sheriff Jarvis with some acerbity. “Eh? What?” said Kent absently. “Seen anything? Nothing but what’s there for any one to see.” Following his fixed gaze, the others studied the face of the cliff; all but Sailor Smith. He blinked near-sightedly at the corpse. “Say,” said he presently, “what’s them queer little marks on the neck, under the ear?” Back came Kent’s eyes. “Those?” he said smiling. “Why, those are, one might suppose, such indentations as would be made in flesh by forcing a jewel setting violently against it, by a blow or strong impact.” “Then you think it was the wom—” began the old seaman when several voices broke in: “There goes Len now!” The sheriff’s heavy figure appeared on the brow of the cliff, moving toward the village. “Who is it with him?” inquired Kent. “Gansett Jim,” answered Jarvis. “An Indian?” “Gosh! You got good eyes!” said Jarvis. “He’s more Indian than anything else. Comes from down Amagansett way, and gets his name from it.” “H-m! When did he arrive?” “While you was trapesin’ around up yonder.” “Did he see the body?” “Yep. Just after the sheriff got whatever it was from the pocket, Gansett Jim hove in sight. Len went over to him quick, an’ said somethin’ to him. He come and give a look at the body. But he didn’t say nothing. Only grunted.” “Never does say nothin’, only grunt,” put in Sailor Smith. “That’s right,” agreed Jarvis. “Well, the sheriff tells me to watch the body. Then he says, ‘An’ I’ll need somebody to help me. I’ll take you, Jim.’ So he an’ the Indian goes away together.” Professor Kent nodded. He looked seaward where the reefs were now baring their teeth more plainly through the racing currents, and he sighed. That sigh meant, in effect, “I wanted to play with my tides and eddies, and here is work thrown at my very feet!” Then he bade the group farewell, and set off up the beach. “Seems kinder int’rested, don’t he?” remarked one of the natives. “Who is he, anyway?” inquired another. “Oh, he’s a sort of a harmless scientific crank,” explained Jarvis, with patronizing kindliness. “Comes from Washington. Something to do with the government work.” “Kinder loony, _I_ think,” conjectured a little, thin, piping man. “Musses and moves around like it.” “Is that so!” said Sailor Smith, who still had his eyes fixed on the scarified neck. “Well, I ain’t any too dum sure thet he’s as big a fool as some folks I know thet thinks likelier of theirselves.”