"I never did, sir, and I suppose I've
seen as many watches as any man in these
United States. Now, you follow me, Dr.
Simpson. And keep your eyes, sir, on this
re-markable watch that you see here in my
hand. Six years ago that Mr. Ackland,
who was your fellow-guest at Glenoak,
called at my store, and asked me to clean
this remarkable watch, and set it. I took
particular notice of this remarkable watch,
because it is a most re-markable watch, sir.
And I took down the number of it in my
books. I said to Mr. Ackland, when I
handed his watch back to him, 'This is a
very remarkable watch, sir.' 'Well, sir,'
says he, 'it is a remarkable watch, but it
loses time, sir.' 'It won't lose time now,
sir,' says I; 'I'll warrant that watch of
yours to go right for six years now that
I've fixed it up,' said I. Well, sir, and the
watch has gone right for six years. It's
just six years and six months, Dr. Simpson,
sir, since Mr. Ackland got this watch fixed
up by me, and took it with him to Glenoak.
And it's not six hours since Miss
Cartwright called at my store, and brought me
this very re-markable watch to fix up
again."

"God bless my soul!" cried Dr. Simpson."

"You may well say that, Dr. Simpson,
sir," responded Mr. D'Oiley. "I said to
Miss Cartwright, 'May I make so bold,
miss, as to ask where you happened to
purchase this watch of yours?' 'Didn't
purchase it,' says she, 'it was a gift,' and
off she goes."

"But you don't mean to say——"

"I do mean to say it, sir. I mean to say
that I don't believe Mr. Ackland would
have given this very valuable chronometer
to Virginia Cartwright who was a mere
chit, when Mr. A. was at Glenoak. I mean
to say, sir, that I do believe, and always
have believed, and always will believe, that
Mr. Ackland was foully murdered."

"Hush! hush!" exclaimed the doctor:
"you have no right to say that, Mr.
D'Oiley."

"But I do say it, sir," continued the
watchmaker, energetically, " I do say it—
to you at least, Dr. Simpson, sir. For I
know that if you don't say it too, sir, you
think it. And I know that Miss Simpson
thinks it. And I say more, sir. I say
that the man who gave this watch to
Virginia Cartwright was a robber, as well as a
murderer. That's what I say, sir."

"But you mustn't say it," said the doctor,
"not unless you are prepared to——"

"Sir," said Mr. D'Oiley, "I am
prepared to place this watch in the hands of
justice."

"But you have no right to do anything of
the kind. Justice will of course restore it
to its present legal owner, Miss Cartwright.
And let me tell you, Mr. D'Oiley, that this
is a very delicate matter, in which any
imprudence may easily bring you to trouble.
Will you leave the watch—at least for a
few days—in my hands? Miss Cartwright
will doubtless be able to explain
satisfactorily her possession of it. I will promise
to see her immediately, and, if necessary,
her father also. What do you say?"

Mr. D'Oiley would not consent to
relinquish possession of the watch, which, as
he again declared, "the Lord had delivered
into his hands," but he reluctantly agreed
to take no further steps in the matter until
Dr. Simpson had seen Miss Cartwright.
The doctor went to Glenoak next day and
did see Miss Cartwright: from whom he
learned that she had received the watch
from her father as a birthday gift, on the
occasion of her last birthday a year ago.

Where was her father? In Maysville,
she believed. But it was nearly a month
since she had heard from him. To
Maysville went the doctor, and the first man he
met at the bar of the Maysville hotel was
Philip Cartwright. Cartwright was furious
when he learned the object of the doctor's
visit. "Of course," he said, "the watch
had belonged to his poor friend John
Ackland, who had given it to him as a parting
gift, the very day on which he left Glenoak.
And tell that scoundrel, D'Oiley,"
he added, "that if he don't immediately
restore it to my daughter, I'll arrest him
for a thief."

That gentleman, however, was neither
disconcerted nor despondent.

"It is my conviction, sir," said he, "it
has long been my conviction, sir, that
I shall be guided by the finger of Providence
to unravel this great mystery, and
bring detection home to as black a criminal
as ever burdened God's earth, sir. And since
you tell me, Dr. Simpson, sir, that I have no
help for it but to restore this watch to its
unrightful owner, I shall take it back to
Glenoak, and place it in Miss Cartwright's
hands, myself."

CHAPTER XII.

MISS CARTWRIGHT thanked the
watchmaker for taking so much care of her
watch, and bringing it back to her, with