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“Oh, Anna and I have always been on the most friendly terms,” Julie answered. “A good steady girl who saves her money and buys bonds with it. It’s money honestly come by—I’m sure of that because”—Julie smiled faintly—“the poor thing has never had a chance to pad bills. None of them passes through her hands.”

Chan looked at Julie’s flushed face for a long moment. “Then you desire to repeat that Miss Fane herself gave you the ring yesterday morning?”

“I certainly do. It’s the truth, Mr. Chan.”

Charlie bowed. “I can only accept your word, Miss Julie. It is quite possible—the person who told me of seeing the ring last night may have been moved by ancient grudge—I thought of it at the time. Miss Julie, I say to myself, too fine and sweet for underhand work. You will note, Jimmy, that you and I have tastes in common.”

“Which does you credit,” smiled Bradshaw.

“Which credits us both,” amended Chan. “I will no longer hang about, a blot on this lovely scene. My kindest good-by—until we meet again.”

He walked thoughtfully to his car, and drove away through the hot noon sunshine. “So many roads that wind and wind——” He had read that somewhere. He sighed. So many roads—would the little car finally leap down the right one?

As he approached the Grand Hotel, Huntley Van Horn was again in his thoughts. He was reluctant to reappear so soon at the hotel’s main entrance so, parking his car in the street, he entered the grounds and walked toward the palm court. A group of excited tourists was gathered beneath the tallest of the coco-