ook place in
a neighborhood which was by no means infested with criminals. There
was a suggestion of political motive, a reference to the "Black
Hand," concerning whose doings the papers had been full since the
murder of a well-known detective a few weeks ago. But apart from
this there was nothing fresh.

Laverick folded up the paper and leaned back in his chair. The
strain of the last twenty-four hours was beginning to tell even upon
his robust constitution. The atmosphere of the room, too, was close.
He leaned back in his chair and was suddenly weary. Perhaps he
dozed. At any rate, the whisper which called him back to realization
of where he was, came to him so unexpectedly that he sat up with a
sudden start.

Morrison's eyes were open, he had raised himself on his elbow, his
lips were parted. His manner was quieter, but there were black
lines deep engraven under his eyes, in which there still shone
something of that haunting fear.

"Laverick!" he repeated hoarsely.

Laverick, fully awakened now, leaned towards him.

"Hullo," he said, "are you feeling more like yourself?"

Morrison nodded.

"Yes," he admitted, "I am feeling--better. How did you come here?
I can't remember anything."

"You sent for me," Laverick answered. "I arrived to find you
pretty well in a state of collapse. Your sister has gone round to
the theatre to ask them to excuse her this evening."

"I remember now that I sent for you," Morrison continued. "Tell me,
has any one been around at the office asking after me?"

"No one particular," Laverick answered,--"no one at all that I can
think of. There were one or two inquiries through the telephone,
but they were all ordinary business matters."

The man on the bed drew a little breath which sounded like a sigh
of relief.

"I have made a fool of myself, Laverick," he said hoarsely.

"You are making a worse one of yourself by lying here and giving
way," Laverick declared, "besides frightening your sister half to
death."

Morrison passed his hand across his forehead.

"We talked--some time ago," he went on, "about my getting away.
You promised that you would help me. You said that I could get
off to Africa or America to-morrow."

"Not the slightest difficulty about that," Laverick answered. "There
are half-a-dozen steamers sailing, at least. At the same time, I
suppose I ought to remind you that the firm is going to pull through.
Mind--don't take this unkindly but the tr