gave me all that I'd asked for in less than a minute's
time; so I shook hands with him, told him to bundle off home and
sleep himself sober, and that if he wouldn't say anything about
the matter I wouldn't either, and he could turn up for work in the
morning as usual. Then I washed up, shoved the sponge under the
staircase, and nipped off out of town; because, you know, it would
make a deuced bad impression if any of the other workmen should find
out that a member of the firm had been thrashed by one of the
employees--and Draycott had done me up so beautifully that I was a
sight for the gods."

The thing had been so frankly confessed that, in spite of the fact
of having in the beginning been rather repelled by him, Cleek could
not but experience a feeling of liking for the man. "So that's
how it happened, is it?" he said, with a laugh. "It is a brave
man, Mr. Trent, that will resist the opportunity to make himself a
hero in the presence of the lady he loves; and I hope I may be
permitted to congratulate Miss Larue on the wisdom of her choice. But
now, if you please, let us get down at once to the details of the
melancholy business we have in hand. Mr. Narkom has been telling me
the amazing story of the boy's visit to the building and of his
strange disappearance therein, but I should like to have a few
further facts, if you will be so kind. What took the boy to the
building, in the first place? I am told he went there upon your
invitation, but I confess that that seems rather odd to me. Why
should a man of business want a boy to visit him during business
hours?"

"Good Lord, man! I couldn't have let him see what he wanted to
see if he didn't come during business hours, could I? But that's
rather ambiguous, so I'll make haste to put it plainer. Young
Stan--his Christian name is Stanley, as I suppose you know--young
Stan is mad to learn the business of theatrical property making,
and particularly that of the manufacture of those wax effigies, et
cetera, which we supply for the use of drapers in their show windows;
and as he is now sixteen and of an age to begin thinking of _some_
trade or profession for the future, I thought it would save Miss
Larue putting up a jolly big premium to have him taught outside if we
took him into our business free, so I invited him to come and look
round and see if he thought he'd like it when he came to look into
the messy details.

"Well, he came rather late yesterday afternoon, and I'