"He's simply refused, up to the present, to tell what he was doing between twelve o'clock and the time he was found, except to say that he walked for a good while before going to the house where Girard afterwards found him.

Of course he denies killing the man: says the fellow had stolen something from him, on the boat crossing from Dover to Calais yesterday, and that after applying to the detective, he got a note from the thief, offering to give the thing back if he would call and name a reward.

Says he found the room already ransacked and the fellow dead, when he arrived at the address given him; that he was searching for his property when Girard appeared on the scene." "Couldn't he have shown the note sent by the thief ?" asked Aunt Lil.
"He did show a note.

But it does him more harm than good.

And he wouldn't tell what the thing was the thief had taken from him, except that it was valuable.