"There, you see, I should never make a thief. Besides there was the satchel. I had forgotten about that. One could not hide a satchel in a cake of soap."
"But he could throw it out of a window, to mislead the man who picked it up," replied the detective.
"You are shrewd, Mr. Barnes," said Mr. Thauret, after a keen scrutiny, which Mr. Barnes thought betokened uneasiness. "But," he continued, "will you tell me how you think the thief hid the treasure on the train?"
"He hid it off the train," said Mr. Barnes, quickly, and to his satisfaction both his men started slightly. Evidently Mr. Mitchel decided that it was time for him to enter the game, for he crossed and joined the group, saying as he did so:
"Are you all discussing the train robbery?"
"Oh, yes!" said Dora. "And it is just lovely, the way Mr. Barnes has found out all about it!"
"Found out all about it? Has he, indeed?"
"Yes! He knows who the thief is, and that he hid the jewels off the train."
"How very clever of you, Mr. Barnes, to discover that. Where else could he have hidden them, since the train itself and everybody on it was searched?"