The bank that had been deceived into cashing the checks before they were forwarded to the bank upon which they were drawn, had located Tom Denman easily enough.  Tom would have been arrested, but Mrs. Denman promptly applied to a great detective agency, which quickly established the young man’s mental condition at the of “forging” the checks.  Moreover, Mrs. Denman, after cabling her husband for authority to use his funds, had made good the loss to the bank.  Then mother, daughter and son had journeyed hastily to Vera Cruz, that the boy might be under his father’s eye.

That one lesson was enough for Tom Denman.  He has never strayed since.

As to the theft of his landing plan, Captain Gales afterward explained to several of his officers that no such theft had ever taken place.  “You recall, gentlemen,” the captain explained, “that I referred to the envelope which had contained the plans.  And I then stated that the envelope which had contained the plans had disappeared.  You will also remember, perhaps that I didn’t state that the plans themselves were gone, for they rested in my safe, and are there at this moment.  Acting that afternoon on an impulse that I did not very well understand, I took the landing plans from their envelope and filled the envelope with blank paper after having put the plans in the safe.

“Cantor had knowledge of the envelope, and supposed, as any one would have done, that the plans were inside.  When my back was turned for an instant Cantor took the envelope, which I did not immediately miss, as I had no idea that any of my officers was untrustworthy.  Cantor hurried to his own quarters, and there discovered the blank paper substitution.  Furious, yet hating Darrin for reasons which you now understand, Cantor hastened to Darrin’s room and slipped the envelope in under Darrin’s mattress.  Cantor has admitted it to me—–­whatever the word of an adjudged lunatic may be worth poor fellow!

“Now, as to Cantor’s need of money, he was overwhelmed with gambling debts in New York.  Some wild fancy told him that he could win money enough in Vera Cruz to pay his debts at home.  He secured leave and went ashore.  In a gaming house there he lost all his money, but still fought on against the game when he found that his signature would be accepted.  He plunged heavily, soon rising from the table owing thirty thousand dollars to the house.  Then Cosetta, who was a silent partner of the house, noting the lieutenant’s despair, led him aside and cunningly informed him that he could have all his notes back if he could only secure the authoritative plans of the American landing.  Cosetta, who had been a bandit for many years, and who feared the time would come when his appearance in Vera Cruz would be followed by arrest and execution, wanted to turn the landing plans over to General Maas, the Mexican commander here.  Imagine the temptation to Cantor when he thought he had the plans in his own hands!