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Updated: July 26, 2025
"He was not a clever detective," continued Orme. "And as for Poritol, don't you think he had better offer his reward to the Japanese?" "No," replied Alcatrante. "They may have stolen the clue from you, but I have reason to think that the papers were already gone when they went to look for them. Poritol is really very anxious." "Doubtless," said Orme.
"And in the second place," he continued, "while actually I am a foreigner in your dear country, I regard myself as in spirit one of your natives. I came here when a boy, and was educated at your great University of Princeton." "You are a Portuguese I infer from your name," said Orme. "Oh, dear, no! Oh, no, no, no!" exclaimed Senhor Poritol, tapping the floor nervously with his toes.
"Why, yes," said Orme "a little man from South America." "Oh, Mr. Poritol?" Her brows were knit in an adorable frown. "Yes and two Japanese." "Oh!" Her exclamation was apprehensive. "The Japanese got it," added Orme, ruefully. That she had the right to this information it never occurred to him to question. The girl stood rigidly. "Whatever shall I do now?" she whispered. "My poor father!"
Only he and I were acquainted with the contents of the envelope; so I insisted on going to Chicago and interviewing the burglar." She laughed, intercepting Orme's admiring look. "Oh, it was easy enough. I planned to take our lawyer as an escort." "Did you?" "No, and that is where my troubles really began. Just as I was preparing to go, Mr. Poritol called.
Looking from Alcatrante to Poritol and back again, he said in English: "The mos' honorable gentleman will soon be here." "That is right," said Alcatrante suavely. "Mention no names." Arima nodded slightly. The silence grew intense. Orme was relieved when it was broken by another ring of the bell, and Arima slipped to the door.
He decided not to settle the question at this moment. "This seems to be rather a mixed-up affair, Senhor Alcatrante," he said. "There is much more in it than appears. Call on me to-morrow morning, and you shall have my decision." Alcatrante and Poritol looked at each other. The minister spoke: "Will you engage not to give the bill to anyone else in the interval?" "I will promise that," said Orme.
A few moments later he was back, the sheet of paper in his hand. "I can't forgive my own stupidity," he said. "While I was puzzling over the bill this evening I copied the secret on a sheet of paper. When Poritol came I put it away in a drawer and forgot all about it. But here it is." He laid the paper on the little, useless onyx table that stood beside her chair.
I wrote upon the face of it the words you have seen, and paid it to the ticket-agent. I called his attention to the writing and implored him to save the bill if he could until I returned, and if not, to be sure to remember the person he gave it to." Orme laughed. "It does seem funny," said Senhor Poritol, rolling another cigarette, "but you cannot imagine my most frantic desperation.
Probably the intention was to make Orme prisoner for as long a period as possible and, in any event, to gain time enough to communicate with Poritol and the Japanese and whatever other persons might be helping in the struggle to regain the papers. The probabilities were that Alcatrante had been using the last two hours to get in touch with his friends.
A counterfeiter, however, would hardly work by so picturesque and noticeable a method, unless he were carefully disguised hardly even then. Was Senhor Poritol disguised? Orme looked at him more closely. No, he could see where the roots of the coarse black hair joined the scalp. And there was not the least evidence of make-up on the face.
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