“Did you ever ask yourself why Herrick should hang around the Casino? He wasn’t a gambling man, was he?”

“No.”

“Well, all right,” I said, getting up. “Maybe Miss Spence will answer all the questions. I’m going to dress now, honey.”

I went into the house and put on a dark blue linen suit, a dark blue shirt and a dark red tie. I went into the sitting-room and found her waiting for me. She was making a brave show, but I could see she was near tears.

I gave her the cigar box.

“Take care of that, sweetheart,” I said. “That’s all the dough I have in the world, and I sweated earning it.”

She clung to me.

“Don’t go,” she said.

I patted her.

“If anything should happen to you…” she said.