ion, and knows, I really believe,
three-fourths of London by name. He immediately said a young man of that
name was with Messrs. Kedge and Reck, of Gray's Inn, either as clerk, or
in some other capacity; and when he described this clerk of yours, I felt
nearly sure that it was the man I am looking for. I got Taylor to make
inquiries, and he did, I believe, of one of your clerks; but he could
learn nothing, except that no one of that name was connected with you
now. Taylor persists that he is or was connected with you; and so
I thought the shortest plan to settle the matter was to ask yourselves."

"We have no clerk of that name," repeated Mr. Kedge, pushing back some
papers on the table. "Never had one."

"Understand," said Mr. Carr, thinking it just possible the lawyer might
be mistaking his motives, "I have nothing to allege against the man, and
do not seek to injure him. The real fact is, that I do not want to see
him or to be brought into personal contact with him; I only want to know
whether he is in London, and, if so, where?"

"I assure you he is not connected with us," repeated Mr. Kedge. "I would
tell you so in a moment if he were."

"Then I can only apologise for having troubled you," said the barrister,
rising. "Taylor must have been mistaken. And yet I would have backed his
word, when he positively asserts a thing, against the world. I hardly
ever knew him wrong."

Mr. Kedge was playing with the locket on his watch-chain, his head bent
in thought.

"Wait a moment, Mr. Carr. I remember now that we took a clerk temporarily
into the office in the latter part of last year. His writing did not
suit, and we kept him only a week or two. I don't know what his name was,
but it might have been Gordon."

"Do you remember what sort of a man he was?" asked Mr. Carr, somewhat
eagerly.

"I really do not. You see, I don't come much into contact with our
clerks. Reck does; but he's not here to-day. I fancy he had red hair."

"Gordon had reddish hair."

"You had better see Kimberly," said the solicitor, ringing a bell. "He is
our managing clerk, and knows everything."

A grey-haired, silent-looking man came in with stooping shoulders. Mr.
Kedge, without any circumlocution, asked whether he remembered any clerk
of the name of Gordon having been in the house. Mr. Kimberly responded by
saying that they never had one in the house of the name.

"Well, I thought not," observed the principal. "There was one had in for