“That ’s noble of you, Frank, and I would have done the same, but we must remember that we are not in the old days now.  The negroes are becoming less faithful and less contented, and more ’s the pity, and a deal more ambitious, although I have never had any unfaithfulness on the part of Hamilton to complain of before.”

“Then do not condemn him now.”

“I shall not condemn any one until I have proof positive of his guilt or such clear circumstantial evidence that my reason is satisfied.”

“I do not believe that you will ever have that against old Hamilton.”

“This spirit of trust does you credit, Frank, and I very much hope that you may be right.  But as soon as a negro like Hamilton learns the value of money and begins to earn it, at the same time he begins to covet some easy and rapid way of securing it.  The old negro knew nothing of the value of money.  When he stole, he stole hams and bacon and chickens.  These were his immediate necessities and the things he valued.  The present laughs at this tendency without knowing the cause.  The present negro resents the laugh, and he has learned to value other things than those which satisfy his belly.”

Frank looked bored.

“But pardon me for boring you.  I know you want to go to bed.  Go and leave everything to me.”

The young man reluctantly withdrew, and Maurice went to the telephone and rung up the police station.

As Maurice had said, he was a plain, hard-headed business man, and it took very few words for him to put the Chief of Police in possession of the principal facts of the case.  A detective was detailed to take charge of the case, and was started immediately, so that he might be upon the ground as soon after the commission of the crime as possible.

When he came he insisted that if he was to do anything he must question the robbed man and search his room at once.  Oakley protested, but the detective was adamant.  Even now the presence in the room of a man uninitiated into the mysteries of criminal methods might be destroying the last vestige of a really important clue.  The master of the house had no alternative save to yield.  Together they went to the artist’s room.  A light shone out through the crack under the door.

“I am sorry to disturb you again, Frank, but may we come in?”

“Who is with you?”

“The detective.”

“I did not know he was to come to-night.”

“The chief thought it better.”

“All right in a moment.”

There was a sound of moving around, and in a short time the young fellow, partly undressed, opened the door.

To the detective’s questions he answered in substance what he had told before.  He also brought out the cabinet.  It was a strong oak box, uncarven, but bound at the edges with brass.  The key was still in the lock, where Frank had left it on discovering his loss.  They raised the lid.  The cabinet contained two compartments, one for letters and a smaller one for jewels and trinkets.