oor opened and Silvanus Rock entered with two
strangers. The financier was on time. In another few seconds the hands
of the watch would be pointing to four o'clock. Rock's beady eyes opened
wider as he took in the occupants of the room.

"I regret that circumstances have forced upon me a very unpleasant
duty," he began, but Gregory cut him short.

"They haven't," he said. "You guessed wrong this time, Mr. Rock. You've
come for your money. Here it is."

Endorsing the check, he passed it over.

Silvanus Rock's fat fingers closed about the check and his small eyes
glinted. For a moment his heavy jaw sagged and the flabby flesh gathered
in rolls and pressed tightly against his white collar. At length he
found his voice. "This check is not certified," he exclaimed hotly. "I
refuse to take it."

Dalton smiled.

"I guess that check isn't worrying you much, Mr. Rock," he said easily.
"We're both pretty well acquainted with Winfield & Camby's reputation
and between you and me, I hardly think they would relish any inference
like that coming from a man in your position here."

Rock gulped, as he recognized the representative of the big jobbers.
Still he hesitated, rolling the check nervously in his fingers.

Then Hawkins pressed forward.

"Don't urge him to take that check, Cap, if he doesn't want to," he
drawled. "In fact I think it would make a much better story if he turned
it down in the presence of all these witnesses."

Rock confronted Hawkins angrily. "Who are you?" he demanded.

Hawkins introduced himself with a happy smile. "I've been wanting to
meet you for some time, Mr. Rock," he said. "I'm with the Port Angeles
_Daily Times_. Since coming to Legonia I have become much interested in
the local fishing situation. As yet there are several things I'm not
quite clear on. I believe you could enlighten me. What about an
interview?"

Rock's face purpled, then grew white. His beady eyes shifted nervously
from one person to another, and focused at last on Kenneth Gregory.

"I'll take the check," he said thickly in a voice that shook with
emotion.

* * * * *

It was some time later when the business of the day came to a
satisfactory close. Winfield & Camby's representative had departed with
his signed contract which McCoy had designated as a "gilt-edge
proposition." The fish were all unloaded and the night-shift had already
started to work on them. The events of the past two days