“Was there any unusual circumstance attending the receipt of either of these bills?”
“No—why, yes, there was too! The reporter was an impudent young dog, and didn’t have any money when I first asked him to pay his bill. He was going out of town and I made him leave his watch as security. The next morning he redeemed it and paid his bill with one of those fifties.”
“No; but it is on the register. Here it is. Manning; Myles Manning, New York City. I think he was a friend of your nephew. Anyhow, they had drinks together the night he came.”
“Will you kindly send a messenger to my office with word that I should like to see my nephew here for a minute?”
When Ben came he found his uncle sitting with the landlord in the latter’s room.
“Do you know a New York reporter named Manning?” was the first question put to him.
“To be sure I do. He was in my class at X——, and was out here this week doing the strike for the _Phonograph_.”
“Why, pretty fair, I believe; but of course I wouldn’t like to say any thing against an old classmate.”
“In the present case if you know any thing about the young man it is your duty to tell it. He is suspected of taking that thousand dollars.”
“Oh, that can’t be,” he said. “Myles Manning would never do such a thing as that. He may be a little wild, but he couldn’t be a thief.”
“Oh, takes an occasional drink and plays a game now and then.”
“Did you and he drink together the night he came here?”
“I believe we did have one or two glasses.”
“No, not exactly what you might call drunk.”
“Pretty near all he had, I guess. At least he complained of being cleaned out.”
“Yes, and tried to borrow money of me to pay his hotel bill.”
“Oh, he got mad and said he was bound to have his money back some way.”
“I think Lieutenant Easter must have won it, for he was the only one playing with us.”
“While Manning was in your room did he know that the key of my safe was in your possession?”
“Because it fell from my pocket when I drew out my handkerchief while we were playing cards, and I said then that I guessed it was not safe there, and that I should hide it in my room.”
“I don’t know, but he might have, for I had no thought of concealing it from him.”
“Have you had any other cause to be suspicions of him?”