"The finder of that lost twenty-pound note sends it back to Mr.
Galloway. His motive in doing so is that the wrongly suspected may be
cleared. He who was publicly accused of the offence was innocent, as
were all others upon whom suspicion (though not acted upon) may have
fallen. The writer of this alone took the note, and now restores it."
Abrupt and signatureless, such was the letter. When Mr. Galloway had
sufficiently overcome his surprise to reason rationally, it struck him
as being a singular coincidence that this should come to him on the day
when the old affair had been renewed again. Since its bustle had died
out at the time of the occurrence, Mr. Galloway did not remember to
have voluntarily spoken of it, until that morning with Roland Yorke.
He took up the bank-note. Was it the one actually taken--the same
note--kept possibly, in fear, and now returned? He had no means of
knowing. He thought it was not the same. His recollection of the lost
note had seemed to be that it was a dirty note, which must have passed
through many hands; but he had never been quite clear upon that point.
This note was clean and crisp. Who _had_ taken it? Who had sent it
back? It quite disposed of that disagreeable suspicion touching his
cousin. Had his cousin so far forgotten himself as to take the note, he
would not have been likely to return it: _he_ knew nothing of the
proceedings which had taken place in Helstonleigh, for Mr.
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