"And there is one point in your story," he went on, "to which I, who
have seen a good deal of such doubtful cases, attach the very highest
importance. You say that gold clippings, pronounced to be similar in
character to the gold Wulfric, were found shortly after by a cleaner at
the Museum on the cocoa-nut matting of the floor where the coin was
examined by you?"
I nodded, blushing crimson. "That," I said, "seems to me the strangest
and most damning circumstance against me in the whole story."
"Precisely," the Governor answered quietly. "And if what you say is the
truth (as I believe it to be), it is also the circumstance which best
gives us a clue to use against the real culprit. The person who stole
the coin was too clever by half, or else not quite clever enough for his
own protection. In manufacturing that last fatal piece of evidence
against you he was also giving you a certain clue to his own identity."
"How so?" I asked, breathless.
"Why, don't you see? The thief must in all probability have been
somebody connected with the Museum. He must have seen you comparing the
Wulfric with your own coin. He must have picked it up and carried it
off secretly at the moment you dropped it. He must have clipped the
coin to manufacture further hostile evidence. And he must have dropped
the clippings afterwards on the cocoa-nut matting in the same gallery on
purpose in order to heighten the suspicion against you."
"You are right," I cried, brightening up at the luminous
suggestion--"you are right, obviously. And there is only one man who
could have seen and heard enough to carry out this abominable
plot--Mactavish!"
"Well, find him out and prove the case against him, Mr. Tait," the
Governor said warmly, "and if you send him here to us I can promise you
that he will be well taken care of."
I bowed and thanked him, and was about to withdraw, but he held out his
hand to me with perfect frankness.
"Mr. Tait," he said, "I can't let you go away so. Let me have your hand
in token that you bear us no grudge for the way we have treated you
during your unfortunate imprisonment, and that I, for my part, am
absolutely satisfied of the truth of your statement."