"I do not know to what desperate deeds his many wrongs and privations may have driven him. If he is in New York I will find him. If he is being driven toward the career of a criminal I will save him. If you arrest him I cannot save him, and yet he deserves to be saved, for he is the victim of a great wrong."
Again the detective meditated. He was revolving strange theories in his mind, and mentally he concluded: "This is a very unfortunate girl, but she is only one of a type of woman who can be thus fascinated." After an interval he said:
"I do not think Alphonse will be one of the robbers."
"You believe he is in New York?"
"Yes, I believe so."
"How would he know of the intended robbery?"
"That is a question I cannot answer. Indeed I can advance no theory, but I do not believe he will be one of the robbers."
"It is possible he is not in New York at all."
"Yes, it is possible, but the probabilities are that he is."
Alice appeared very unhappy, and our hero could not console her with a promise, simply because he had reason to believe that Alphonse Donetti was possibly already liable to arrest for a previous crime.