Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER III THE TOSS OF A COIN DOZEN times I have read and reread " Mr. Smith's" advertisement in the Times, and I am still undecided as to my proper course in the matter. I am positive that the "personal" refers to my affair, and while I cannot absolutely identify the "small parcel enclosed in a chamois-leather bag," I am morally confident that it is the article which I saw purloined by " M. le Fur Coat" and handed over to the keeping of " M. Pompadour." The word " lost," by-the-way, means nothing; the expression is the natural one which would be employed under the circumstances of the packet's disappearance. It is more than probable that the old gentleman has harbored no suspicion of foul play, and least of all towards the thief himself. They are friends, and the very thought would be impossible. And so the article has been advertised as lost, and lost it is indeed. I myself know nothing more than that it was immediately conveyed into the confederate's keeping and an appointment made for a future meeting. Supposing that I communicated by letter with " Mr. Smith," would I be justified in making so serious a charge against the honor of his friend, unless, indeed, I could adduce some kind of corroboratory evidence? I might tell the simple story of what I haddiscovered in the cinematographic picture, but could I make the story so clear in detail that the reader would see with my eyes? And, finally, would "Mr. Smith " be willing, in so serious a matter, to accept anything but the evidence of his own senses ? My unsupported romance would be instantly discredited, my impertinent communication would be deservedly ignored. I will drop the thing once and for all. Thursday, June iqih.—For two days I have been trying to put this wretched business out of mind, but it is impo... --This text refers to the Paperback edition.