Doctor Vardaman gazed speechless. Mr. Grimm's words, delivered in a dry, curt, and entirely unsensational manner, fairly rattled about the old gentleman's ears like hail. He was conscious of anger, of resentment, and in the same breath of a ghastly and growing conviction. "Impossible!" he gasped; and then felt involuntarily for his cuff-buttons. "Jewelry-shop job! You mean Huddesley's a thief!" "Put it there," said the detective, nodding encouragingly. "Good Lord! Why--I--I can't believe it. He's been in my house for over two months, and I've never missed a thing!" "I guess you didn't have nothing worth while," said Grimm, casting the glance of a connoisseur about him. "He thought it was a good place to hide, or else he was fixing to bring off some other job." "That's what!" said Judd briefly. "I--I--it don't seem as if it _could_ be! Don't you think there's some mistake?" "Not likely," said Judd, without emotion. "I spotted him that time I come up here peddlin' collar-buttons--t'ain't more'n two weeks ago--an' I'll bet anything he spotted me, too. He's pretty fly, that fellow." Mr. Grimm produced a bundle of papers from the inside pocket of his coat, fished out a bit of pasteboard and held it before the doctor's eyes. "That him?" he queried. Doctor Vardaman surveyed it a while in silence. "I'm afraid so," he said at last, with a sigh. "This is clean-shaven, and Huddesley wears mutton chop side-whiskers, but it's the same face, undoubtedly." The detective nodded with a satisfied air, and returned the photograph to its place. He repeated his former question. "Did you say he'd gone out? Was it to this party to-night? How'd that happen?" "The--the circumstances are a little peculiar," said the doctor. "Won't you sit down, Mr. Grimm? The fact is the young gentlemen of the party--it's an entertainment, private theatricals--were dining with me, and one of them was taken sick----" "The feller upstairs, hey?" interposed Mr. Judd, smiling slightly. "Ahem--yes. Well, then, Huddesley, who knew his part, volunteered to take his place in the play, you understand. It was a great accommodation----" "Hold on a minute. Didn't it strike you as kinder queer he should 'a' been so well up in the stage-business? Fact is, he _has_ been an actor, he's been pretty nearly everything, but you didn't know that of course. But didn't you ever have any suspicions?" "Well, I had always thought the man was rather--rather unusual--a little above his station, perhaps. But _this_! It never occurred to me. You may have heard that there was an attempt at robbing the Pallinder residence this winter, and Huddesley was one of the first to discover it, and rouse the----" He paused, seeing the two detectives exchange a meaning glance. "Told you so," said Judd. He got up, walked to the door, spat into the porch, and returned to his seat. "I was _on_--not right off, but pretty soon," said he. "Go ahead, Doc., you say Huddesley took your friend's part in the play----"