all. On the contrary, it's a great deal more to his
advantage to see me than it will be mine to find him."

"I think," Laverick suggested, "that you had better be frank with
me. Supposing I knew where to catch Morrison before he left the
country, I could easily deal with you on his behalf."

The man looked doubtful.

"You see, sir," he replied awkwardly, "it's a matter I wouldn't
like to breathe a word about to any one but Mr. Morrison himself.
It's--it's a bit serious."

The man's face gave weight to his words. Curiously enough, the
gleam of terror which Laverick caught in his white face reminded
him of a similar look which he had seen in Morrison's eyes barely
an hour ago. To gain time, Laverick moved across the room, took
a cigarette from a box and lit it. A conviction was forming
itself in his mind. There was something definite behind these
hysterical paroxysms of his late partner, something of which this
man had an inkling.

"Look here," he said, throwing himself into an easychair, "I think
you had better be frank with me. I must know more than I know at
present before I help you to find Morrison, even if he is to be
found. We didn't part very good friends, but I'm his friend
enough--for the sake of others," he added, after a moment's hesitation,
"to do all that I could to help him out of any difficulty he may
have stumbled into. So you see that so far as anything you may have
to say to him is concerned, I think you might as well say it to me."

"You couldn't see your way, then, sir," the man continued doggedly,
"to tell me where I could find Mr. Morrison himself?"

"No, I couldn't," Laverick decided. "Even if I knew exactly where
he was--and I'm not admitting that--I couldn't put you in touch
with him unless I knew what your business was."

The man's eyes gleamed. He was a typical waiter--pasty-faced,
unwholesome-looking--but he had small eyes of a greenish cast, and
they were expressive.

"I think, sir," he said, "you've some idea yourself, then, that Mr.
Morrison has been getting into a bit of trouble."

"We won't discuss that," Laverick answered. "You must either go
away--it's past nine o'clock and I haven't had my dinner yet--or
you must treat me as you would Mr. Morrison."

The man looked upon the carpet for several moments.

"Very well, sir," he said, "there's no great reason why I should put
myself out about this at all. The only thing is--"

He hesitated.

"Well, go on," La