-wine salesman, and so far's I
know, a respectable man-foreign-lookin', but nothin' more. Now, this was
at 'alf-past two, and I was at my head branch at Putney, where I live.
I want you to mark the time, so as you'll see I 'aven't wasted a minute.
I took a cab and I drove straight to my customer's private residence in
Putney, where he lives with his daughter--Ricardos his name is, Paolio
Ricardos. They tell me there that he's at his business shop in the City.
So off I go in the cab again, and there I find him. Well, sir, I showed
this paper to him and I produced the note. "Here," I said, "you brought
this to me and you got value for it." Well, that man was taken aback.
If I'm a judge, Mr Twisden, he was taken aback, not to speak in a guilty
way, but he was, as you might say, flummoxed. "Now," I said to him,
"where did you get it--that's the point?" He took his time to answer,
and then he said: "Well, Mr Gilman," he said, "you know me; I am an
honourable man. I can't tell you offhand, but I am above the board."
He's foreign, you know, in his expressions. "Yes," I said, "that's all
very well," I said, "but here I've got a stolen note and you've got the
value for it. Now I tell you," I said, "what I'm going to do; I'm going
straight with this note to Mr Jacob Twisden, who's got this Dancy-De
Levis case in 'and. He's a well-known Society lawyer," I said, "of great
experience." "Oh!" he said, "that is what you do?"--funny the way he
speaks! "Then I come with you!"--And I've got him in the cab below.
I want to tell you everything before he comes up. On the way I tried to
get something out of him, but I couldn't--I could not. "This is very
awkward," I said at last. "It is, Mr Gilman," was his reply; and he
began to talk about his Sicilian claret--a very good wine, mind you; but
under the circumstances it seemed to me uncalled for. Have I made it
clear to you?

TWISDEN. [Who has listened with extreme attention] Perfectly, Mr Gilman.
I'll send down for him. [He touches a hand-bell].

The YOUNG CLERK appears at the door, Left Forward.

A gentleman in a taxi-waiting. Ask him to be so good as to step up. Oh!
and send Mr Graviter here again.

The YOUNG CLERK goes out.

GILMAN. As I told you, sir, I've been followin' this case. It's what
you might call piquant. And I should be very glad if it came about that
this helped Captain Dancy. I take an interest, because, to tell you the
truth, [Confide