at nose of his is made to lead him by."

For the sagacious and fat-nosed General had omitted to look at the little
paper Newt handed to him, thinking it would be hardly polite to do so
under the circumstances. But if he had looked he would have seen that the
exact sum they had spoken of had been forgotten, and a very
inconsiderable amount was specified.

It had flashed across Abel's mind in a moment that if the General
subsequently discovered it and were disposed to make trouble, the
disclosure of the paper of instructions which he had written, and
which Abel had in his possession, would ruin his hopes of political
financiering. "And as for my election, why, I have my certificate in
my pocket."

CHAPTER LXXIV.

MIDNIGHT.

Gradually the sneer faded from Abel's face, and he walked up and down
the room, no longer carelessly, but fitfully; stopping sometimes--again
starting more rapidly--then leaning against the mantle, on which the
clock pointed to midnight--then throwing himself into a chair or upon a
sofa; and so, rising again, walked on.

His head bent forward--his eyes grew rounder and harder, and seemed to
be burnished with the black, bad light; his step imperceptibly grew
stealthy--he looked about him carefully--he stood erect and breathless
to listen--bit his nails, and walked on.

The clock upon the mantle pointed to half an hour after midnight. Abel
Newt went into his chamber and put on his slippers. He lighted a candle,
and looked carefully under the bed and in the closet. Then he drew the
shades over the windows and went out into the other room, closing and
locking the door behind him.

He glided noiselessly to the door that opened into the entry, and locked
that softly and bolted it carefully. Then he turned the key so that the
wards filled the keyhole, and taking out his handkerchief he hung it over
the knob of the door, so that it fell across the keyhole, and no eye
could by any chance have peered into the room.

He saw that the blinds of the windows were closed, the windows shut and
locked, and the linen shades drawn over them. He also let fall the heavy
damask curtains, so that the windows were obliterated from the room. He
stood in the centre of the room and looked to every corner where, by any
chance, a person might be concealed.

Then, moving upon tip-toe, he drew a key from his pocket and fitted it
into the lid of a secretary. As he turned it in the lock the snap of the
bolt made hi