He held it up, gingerly.  Elaine was speechless.  Was this Kennedy?  Was he possessed by such an inordinate jealousy of Bennett?

As he held the watch up, the second hand ticked around and the minute hand passed the meridian of the hour.

A viciously sharp little needle gleamed out—­then sprang back into the filigree work again.

“Well,” she gasped again, “what’s the occasion of this?”

Craig gazed at Elaine in silence.

Should he defend his rudeness, if she did not understand?  She stamped her foot, and repeated the question a third time.

“What do you mean, sir, by such conduct?”

Slowly he bowed.

“I just don’t like the kind of birthday presents you receive,” he said, turning on his heel.  “Good afternoon.”

CHAPTER XII

THE BLOOD CRYSTALS

“On your right is the residence of Miss Elaine Dodge, the heiress, who is pursuing the famous master criminal known as the Clutching Hand.”

The barker had been grandiloquently pointing out the residences of noted New Yorkers as the big sightseeing car lumbered along through the streets.  The car was filled with people and he plied his megaphone as though he were on intimate terms with all the city’s notables.

No one paid any attention to the unobtrusive Chinaman who sat inconspicuously in the middle of the car.  He was Mr. Long Sin, but no one saw anything particularly mysterious about an oriental visitor more or less viewing New York City.

Long was of the mandarin type, with drooping mustache, well dressed in American clothes, and conforming to the new customs of an occidentalized China.

Anyone, however, who had been watching Long Sin would have seen that he showed much interest whenever any of the wealthy residents of the city were mentioned.  The name of Elaine Dodge seemed particularly to strike him.  He listened with subtle interest to what the barker said and looked keenly at the Dodge house.

The sight-seeing car had passed the house, when he rose slowly and motioned that he wanted to be let off.  The car stopped, he alighted and slowly rambled away, evidently marvelling greatly at the strange customs of these uncouth westerners.

Elaine was going out, when she met Perry Bennett almost on the steps of the house.

“I’ve brought you the watch,” remarked Bennett; “thought I’d like to give it to you myself.”

He displayed the watch which he himself had bought a couple of days before for her birthday.  He had called for it himself at the jeweller’s where it had now been regulated.

“Oh, thank you,” exclaimed Elaine.  “Won’t you come in?”

They had scarcely greeted each other, when Long Sin strolled along.  Neither of them, however, had time to notice the quiet Chinaman who passed the house, looking at Elaine sharply out of the corner of his eye.  They entered and Long disappeared down the street.