"Since spring I think, sir."

"He brought it home on the 19th of March," interrupted Mrs.
Klingmayer. "I remember the day because it was my birthday. I
pretended that he had brought it home to me for a present."

"Was he in the habit of making you presents?"

"Oh, no, sir; he was very close with his money, sir.

"Well, perhaps he didn't have much money to be generous with. Now
tell me about his watch chain. I suppose he had a watch chain?"

Both the bookkeeper and the landlady nodded and the latter exclaimed:
"Oh, yes, sir; I could recognise it in a minute."

"How?"

"It was broken once and Mr. Winkler mended it himself. I lent him
my pliers and he bent the two links together with them. It didn't
look very nice after that, but it was strong again. You could see
the mark of the pliers easily."

"Why didn't he take the chain to the jeweler's to be fixed?" asked
the commissioner.

The woman smiled. "It wouldn't have been worth the money, sir; the
chain wasn't real gold."