"'You are a wonderful man, sir. How did you know that I had lost my
watch?'

"For a moment I was nonplussed; more than that, I was completely
staggered. I had expected him to say at once that he had not lost his
watch, but had come to see me about the tiara; and to have him take my
words seriously was entirely unexpected and overwhelmingly surprising.
However, in view of his rank, I deemed it well to fall in with his humor.
'Oh, as for that,' I replied, 'that is a part of my business. It is the
detective's place to know everything; and generally, if he reveals the
machinery by means of which he reaches his conclusions, he is a fool,
since his method is his secret, and his secret his stock in trade. I do
not mind telling you, however, that I knew your watch was stolen by your
anxious glance at my clock, which showed that you wished to know the time.
Now most rich Americans have watches for that purpose, and have no
hesitation about showing them. If you'd had a watch, you'd have looked at
it, not at my clock.'

"My visitor laughed, and repeated what he had said about my being a
wonderful man.

"'And the dents which my son made cutting his teeth?' he added.

"'Invariably go with an American's watch. Rubber or ivory rings aren't
good enough for American babies to chew on,' said I. 'They must have gold
watches or nothing.'

"'And finally, how did you know I was a rich American?' he asked.

"'Because no other can afford to stop at hotels like the Savoy in the