He held it up, gingerly. Elaine was speechless. Was this Kennedy?
Was he possessed by such an inordinate jealousy of Bennett?
As he held the watch up, the second hand ticked around and the
minute hand passed the meridian of the hour.
A viciously sharp little needle gleamed out--then sprang back into
the filigree work again.
"Well," she gasped again, "what's the occasion of THIS?"
Craig gazed at Elaine in silence.
Should he defend his rudeness, if she did not understand? She
stamped her foot, and repeated the question a third time.
"What do you mean, sir, by such conduct?"
Slowly he bowed.
"I just don't like the kind of birthday presents you receive," he
said, turning on his heel. "Good afternoon."
CHAPTER XII
THE BLOOD CRYSTALS
"On your right is the residence of Miss Elaine Dodge, the heiress,
who is pursuing the famous master criminal known as the Clutching
Hand."
The barker had been grandiloquently pointing out the residences of
noted New Yorkers as the big sightseeing car lumbered along
through the streets. The car was filled with people and he plied
his megaphone as though he were on intimate terms with all the
city's notables.
No one paid any attention to the unobtrusive Chinaman who sat
inconspicuously in the middle of the car. He was Mr. Long Sin, but
no one saw anything particularly mysterious about an oriental
visitor more or less viewing New York City.
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