"If we had the money, don't you suppose we'd pay your old bill?" cried Mrs. Pallinder, in a kind of hysterical screech. Her face was red and swollen with crying; her fair hair hung in strings. She ran to the banisters and shook her slim fist at the man, a tousled virago, unrecognisable in her rage. "Why don't you believe us? As if anybody _wanted_ to owe you--as if anybody _liked_ to owe you! It's too silly--you act perfectly crazy! We'd have given you the necklace if we'd had it, but we haven't _got_ it--Huddesley's stolen it. What are you staying around here for? We haven't got the money and we haven't got the necklace, I tell you! Why don't you go away? You haven't any right here--you're a cheat, trying to collect for that necklace when we haven't got it. Make him go away, Willie!" "That's right, Mirandy, you talk to him like a Dutch uncle!" said old Mrs. Botlisch with keen enjoyment. "I don't care--I'm glad Huddesley _has_ got it!" said Mazie fiercely. "Owing to circumstances--a temporary shortage of funds, sir," said Colonel Pallinder, addressing J. B., blandly, "I have been unable to satisfy this fellow's monstrous, his preposterous demand. But if--Mr.--ah--Mr. Hopple will come around to my office to-morrow at half-past eleven _sharp_, I----" Mr. Hopple's voice invited him to teach his grandmother to suck eggs. "This here bill's been owing three years, and I'm going to collect it, don't you worry--I'll be at the office. I'm going to collect if I've got to hang around this town till the cows come home!" "You can't get blood out of a turnip," said Mr. Grimm philosophically. J. B. interrupted this lively exchange of metaphor. "Mr. Grimm," said he, "it's pretty plain, I think, that the criminal you want, this Huddesley, has got away with the diamond necklace. Why we never suspected him seems strange enough now; I can think of a dozen things that should have put us on our guard, but the fact remains we never did. If you'll just step downstairs, and wait until I can get some clothes on, I'll tell you all that we know about him. Mr. Hopple, you can see for yourself that there's nothing to be done here now. Your business can very well hold over until to-morrow--until daylight, that is--it's none of my business, of course"--he interrupted himself, glancing inquiringly at Colonel Pallinder, and as that gentleman remained silent, went on--"but I think it's about time you went to your hotel, and let these people go to bed----" "Huh! I don't take my orders from you, young fellow!" "Oh, don't be a fool, Hopple," said the detective impatiently. "He's right. Go along; you can't do anything here." J. B. descended a step. "You don't have to take my orders, Mr. Hopple," said he gently. "But I should think you'd rather take an order than a kick." "Noble boy!" ejaculated Colonel Pallinder, much affected. "There spoke a son of old Kentucky!" The collector retreated with sundry mutterings. J. B. came back, dusting his hands lightly together.