“No, sir. I have looked in it, and there is nothing but the ordinary clothing, and not much of that.”
“He is in his regular livery, is he?”
“No, sir. He never wears that when he goes out on his private business. Even the trousers he changes, although there is nothing distinctive about them except a blue stripe down the outside of each leg, which would hardly be seen at night, anyhow.”
“How did you open the trunk? Wasn’t it locked?”
“No. And that is where I look upon Jason as a man of particular cunning,” replied Phillips. “He must have found out that I had been examining his belongings—or suspected it. So he had shut down the trunk, without locking it, and put some of his clothes on top. That would enable him to see if I disturbed anything.”
“Not if you put them back the same way,” suggested Nick. “You could do that, couldn’t you?”
“I tried. But Jason is a cunning rascal, I’m afraid, and he would be pretty sure to see that some one had been at his trunk.”
“If you think he is dishonest, why do you keep him here? Mr. Joyal—the prince—would allow you to discharge him if you thought it well to do so, wouldn’t he?”
“Yes. But I want to keep Jason till I can catch him in the act. Then I may find out several things that are distressing me. Mr.—er—Joyal has missed some valuable property, and we think Jason is the man who took it.”
“What kind of property?”