ng him up at breakfast time, asked for an immediate
meeting.

"In town, dear chap, as near to Liverpool Street and as early as you
can possibly make it."

"Well, I can't make it earlier than half-past ten. I've got a
little private business of my own to attend to, as it happens, Mr.
Narkom," he replied. "I'd put it off if I could, but I can't.
To-day before noon is the last possible hour. But look here! I
can meet you at half-past ten in Bishopsgate Street, between St.
Ethelburga's Church and Bevis Narks, if that will do. Will, eh?
All right. Be on the lookout for me there, then. What? The new
blue limousine, eh? Right you are. I'm your man to the tick of the
half hour. Good-bye!"

And he was, as it turned out. For the new blue limousine (a
glistening, spic-span sixty-horsepower machine, perfect in every
detail) had no more than come to a standstill at the kerb in the
exact neighbourhood stated at the exact half hour agreed upon,
when open whisked the door, and in jumped Cleek with the swiftness
and agility of a cat.

CHAPTER XXVI

"Good morning, my friend. I hope I haven't taken you too much by
surprise," he said, as the limousine sprang into activity the
instant he closed the door, and settled himself down beside the
superintendent.

"Not more than usual, dear chap. But I shall never get quite used to
some of your little tricks. Gad! You're the most abnormally prompt
beggar that ever existed, I do believe. You absolutely break all
records."

"Well, I certainly came within a hair's breadth of losing my
reputation this morning, then," he answered cheerily, as he fumbled
in his pockets for a match. "It was a hard pull to cover the
distance and get through the business in time, I can tell you,
with the brief margin I had. But fortunately----Here! Take charge
of that, will you? And read it over while I'm getting a light."

"That" was a long legal-looking envelope which he had whisked out of
his pocket and tossed into Narkom's lap.

"'Royal British Life Assurance Society,'" repeated he, reading
off the single line printed on the upper left-hand corner of the
envelope. "What the dickens----I say, is it a policy?"

"Aha!" assented Cleek, with his mouth full of smoke. "The medico who
put me through my paces, some time ago, reported me sound in wind and
limb, and warranted not to bite, shy, or kick over the traces, and I
was duly ordered to turn up at the London office before noon on a
given day to sign