"That will depend upon your questions，"he answeredevasively."Carg is considered a bit taciturnb，I believe，but he has my best interests at heart and you will ？nd him ready to serve me in any possible way.""Is there any objection to my going with Maud ？"askedPatsy."I'd like to visit that yacht；it looks so beautiful from adistance.""You may all go，if you wish，"said he."It might be well for Mr.Merrick to meet Captain Carg，who would prefer，I am sure，to discuss so delicate a matter as my arrest with a man.Not that he is ungallant，but with a man such as Mr.Merrick he would be more at his ease.Carg is a sailor，rather blunt and ruggeda，both in speech and demeanor，but wholly devoted to me because I am at present the Jones of Sangoa.""I'll accompany the girls，of course，"said Uncle John；"and I think we ought not to delay in seeing your man.Colby says you may be called for examination at any time.""There is one more question I want to ask，"announcedMaud as they rose to go."On what date did you reach New York，after landing at San Francisco ？""Why，it must have been some time in last January.I know it was soon after Christmas，which I passed in Chicago.""Is that as near as you can recollect the date ？""Yes，at short notice.""Then perhaps you can tell me the date you took possession of the Continental Film Company by entering the stockholders'meeting and ejecting yourself president ？"He seemed surprised at her information and the question drew from him an odd laugh.
"How did you learn about that incident？"he asked.
"Goldstein told Mr.Merrick.He said it was a coup d'etat."The boy laughed again.
"It was really funny，"said he."Old Bingley，the last president，had no inkling that I controlled the stock.He was so sure of being reelected that he had a camera—man on hand to make a motion picture of the scene where all would hail him as the chief.The picture was taken，but it didn't interest Bingley any，for it showed the consternationa on his face，and the faces of his favored coterieb，when I rose and calmly voted him out of of？ce with the majority of the stock.""Oh！"exclaimed Maud."There was a picture made of that scene，then？""To be sure.It was never shown but once to an audience of one.I sat and chuckled to myself while the ？lm was being run.""Was it kept，or destroyed？"asked the girl，breathlessly.
"I ordered it preserved amongst our archives.Probably Goldstein now has the negative out here，stored in our Hollywood vaults.""And the date—when was it？"she demanded.
"Why，the annual meeting is always the last Thursday in January.Figure it out—it must have been the twenty—sixth.But is the exact date important，Miss Stanton？""Very，"she announced."I don't know yet the exact date that Andrews landed in New York on his return from Vienna，but if it happened to be later than the twenty—sixth of January—""I see.In that case the picture will clear me of suspicion.""Precisely.I shall now go and wire New York for the information I need.""Can't you get it of Le Drieux？"asked the young man.
"Perhaps so；I'll try.But it will be better to get the date from the steamship agent direct."With this they shook the boy's hand，assuring him of theirsympathy and their keen desire to aid him，and then hurried away from the jail.