“Why have you that string on your finger?” I asked.
“That’s the problem,” said Jolnes. “My wife tied that on this morning to remind me of something I was to send up to the house. Sit down, Whatsup, and excuse me for a few moments.”
The distinguished detective went to a wall telephone, and stood with the receiver to his ear for probably ten minutes.
“Were you listening to a confession?” I asked, when he had returned to his chair.
“Perhaps,” said Jolnes, with a smile, “it might be called something of the sort. To be frank with you, Whatsup, I’ve cut out the dope. I’ve been increasing the quantity for so long that morphine doesn’t have much effect on me any more. I’ve got to have something more powerful. That telephone I just went to is connected with a room in the Waldorf where there’s an author’s reading in progress. Now, to get at the solution of this string.”
After five minutes of silent pondering, Jolnes looked at me, with a smile, and nodded his head.
“Wonderful man!” I exclaimed; “already?”
“It is quite simple,” he said, holding up his finger. “You see that knot? That is to prevent my forgetting. It is, therefore, a forget-me-knot. A forget-me-not is a flower. It was a sack of flour that I was to send home!”
“Beautiful!” I could not help crying out in admiration.
“Suppose we go out for a ramble,” suggested Jolnes.