They went over everything up to the time Hal took the train, and they found no clew of any kind. Hal had talked to no one except the ticket agent, the policeman at the corner, and yes! he did ask another man whom he met as he ran out of the station about the location of a pawnshop but the other fellow was hurrying too and he guessed he hadn’t heard his question because he didn’t stop. Hal hadn’t either.
Then they went all over the incidents of the ride to Boston, meeting with Delvin, waiting in the station for him, Hal’s visit to the pawnshop, the dinner at Delvin’s and the vaudeville show but found nothing that would give them a start.
Then Hans had Hal tell the pawnbroker’s story over again, word for word as near as he could remember it. When Hal came to the part about the envelope Hans stopped him.
“Do you remember where you got that envelope and how you happened to write your name on it?”
“Why yes, I got it off my desk that day when I was packing. I remember I wrote my name and home address on it and put it in my handkerchief pocket intending to leave it at the post office as a forwarding address for my mail.”
“Did you leave it there?”
Hal thought a moment. “No, I’m sure I forgot all about that. I didn’t go to the post office at all.”
“Then it must have been in your pocket on the train. You may have pulled it out of your pocket with your handkerchief on the train,” continued Hans.
“I can’t remember having used my handkerchief on the train,” said Hal, “but I do recollect now that when I came out of the pawnshop I was perspiring freely from slight nervousness and the excitement of knowing the great value of my watch.”