“Another?” he echoed dully, and, I observed, without surprise.

I led the way back to the room where Captain Murray waited.  “Can you tell me anything about this?” I asked, pointing to the sovereign on the writing-table.

He shook his head, clearly puzzled, but anticipating mischief.

“The coin is marked, you see.  I have reason to know that it was marked by its owner in order to detect a thief.  Captain Murray found it just now among your stakes.”

Somehow—­for I liked the lad—­I had not the heart to watch his face as I delivered this.  I kept my eyes upon the coin, and waited, expecting an explosion—­a furious denial, or at least a cry that he was the victim of a conspiracy.  None came.  I heard him breathing hard.  After a long and very dreadful pause some words broke from him, so lowly uttered that my ears only just caught them.

“This too?  O my God!”

I seated myself, the lad before me, and Captain Murray erect and rigid at the end of the table.  “Listen, my lad,” said I.  “This wears an ugly look, but that a stolen coin has been found in your possession does not prove that you’ve stolen it.”

“I did not.  Sir, I swear to you on my honour, and before Heaven, that I did not.”

“Very well,” said I:  “Captain Murray asserts that he found this among the moneys you had been staking at cards.  Do you question that assertion?”

He answered almost without pondering.  “No, sir.  Captain Murray is a gentleman, and incapable of falsehood.  If he says so, it was so.”

“Very well again.  Now, can you explain how this coin came into your possession?”

At this he seemed to hesitate; but answered at length, “No, I cannot explain.”

“Have you any idea?  Or can you form any guess?”

Again there was a long pause before the answer came in low and strained tones:  “I can guess.”

“What is your guess?”

He lifted a hand and dropped it hopelessly.  “You would not believe,” he said.

I will own a suspicion flashed across my mind on hearing these words—­the very excuse given a while ago by Mr. Urquhart—­that the whole affair was a hoax and the two young men were in conspiracy to fool me.  I dismissed it at once:  the sight of Mr. Mackenzie’s face, was convincing.  But my temper was gone.

“Believe you?” I exclaimed.  “You seem to think the one thing I can swallow as creditable, even probable, is that an officer in the Morays has been pilfering and cheating at cards.  Oddly enough, it’s the last thing I’m going to believe without proof, and the last charge I shall pass without clearing it up to my satisfaction.  Captain Murray, will you go and bring me Mr. Urquhart and the Major?”

As Captain Murray closed the door I rose, and with my hands behind me took a turn across the room to the fireplace, then back to the writing-table.