"I've been thinking of it for thirty-six hours." "Well--it'll have to be proved," muttered Mr.Portlethorpe.He had been staring hard at Mr.Gavin Smeaton ever since he came in, and suddenly he let out a frank exclamation.

"There's no denying you've a strong Carstairs look on you!" said he.

"Bless and save me!--this is the strangest affair!" Smeaton put his hand into his pocket, and drew out a little package which he began to unwrap.
"I wonder if this has anything to do with it," he said.

"I remembered, thinking things over last night, that I had something which, so the Watsons used to tell me, was round my neck when I first came to them.
It's a bit of gold ornament, with a motto on it.

I've had it carefully locked away for many a long year!" He took out of his package a heart-shaped pendant, with a much-worn gold chain attached to it, and turned it over to show an engraved inscription on the reverse side.
"There's the motto," he said.