aimed the young man. "Briggs is my
father's manager. Shut up the case, Mr. Quatermain. Come in, Briggs," he
went on, unlocking the door slowly. "What is it?"

"It is a good deal," replied a thin and agitated person who thrust
himself through the opening door. "Your father, I mean Sir Alexander,
has come to the office unexpectedly and is in a nice taking because he
didn't find you there, sir. When he discovered that you had gone to the
orchid sale he grew furious, sir, furious, and sent me to fetch you."

"Did he?" replied Mr. Somers in an easy and unruffled tone. "Well, tell
Sir Alexander I am coming at once. Now please go, Briggs, and tell him I
am coming at once."

Briggs departed not too willingly.

"I must leave you, Mr. Quatermain," said Mr. Somers as he shut the door
behind him. "But will you promise me not to show that flower to anyone
until I return? I'll be back within half an hour."

"Yes, Mr. Somers. I'll wait half an hour for you in the sale room, and I
promise that no one shall see that flower till you return."

"Thank you. You are a good fellow, and I promise you shall lose nothing
by your kindness if I can help it."

We went together into the sale room, where some thought suddenly struck
Mr. Somers.

"By Jove!" he said, "I nearly forgot about that Odontoglossum. Where's
Woodden? Oh! come here, Woodden, I want to speak to you."

The person called Woodden obeyed. He was a man of about fifty,
indefinite in colouring, for his eyes were very light-blue or grey and
his hair was sandy, tough-looking and strongly made, with big hands that
showed signs of work, for the palms were horny and the nails worn down.
He was clad in a suit of shiny black, such as folk of the labouring
class wear at a funeral. I made up my mind at once that he was a
gardener.

"Woodden," said Mr. Somers, "this gentleman here has got the most
wonderful orchid in the whole world. Keep your eye on him and see that
he isn't robbed. There are people in this room, Mr. Quatermain, who
would murder you and throw your body into the Thames for that flower,"
he added, darkly.

On receipt of this information Woodden rocked a little on his feet as
though he felt the premonitory movements of an earthquake. It was a
habit of his whenever anything astonished him. Then, fixing his pale
eye upon me in a way which showed that my appearance surprised him, he
pulled a lock of his sandy hair with his thumb and finger and said:

"'Servant, sir, an