who always goes with me when I am slumming,
that the gentleman sometimes comes, uses this room, and that he
always sweeps it out for himself. It cannot be very well furnished,
and apparently he never stays the night there.

Isn't it very extraordinary? Please tell me what you make of it--

Frank Merrill put down the letter and slowly filled his pipe. He was
puzzled, and found no solution either then or on his way to the office.

He was the accountant of the Piccadilly branch of the London and Western
Counties Bank, and had very little time to give to outside problems. But
the thought of Cole and his curious appearance in a London slum under
circumstances which, to say the least, were mysterious came between him
and his work more than once.

He was entering up some transactions when he was sent for by the
manager. Frank Merrill, though he did not occupy a particularly imposing
post in the bank, held nevertheless a very extraordinary position and
one which insured for him more consideration than the average official
receives at the hands of his superiors. His uncle was financially
interested in the bank, and it was generally believed that Frank had
been sent as much to watch his relative's interests as to prepare
himself for the handling of the great fortune which John Minute would
some day leave to his heir.

The manager nodded cheerily as Frank came in and closed the door behind
him.

"Good morning, Mr. Merrill," said the chief. "I want to see you about
Mr. Holland's account. You told me he was in the other day."

Frank nodded.

"He came in in the lunch hour."

"I wish I had been here," said the manager thoughtfully. "I would like
to see this gentleman."

"Is there anything wrong with his account?"

"Oh, no," said the manager with a smile; "he has a very good balance. In
fact, too large a balance for a floating account. I wish you would see
him and persuade him to put some of this money on deposit. The head
office does not like big floating balances which may be withdrawn at any
moment and which necessitates the keeping here of a larger quantity of
cash than I care to hold.

"Personally," he went on, "I do not like our method of doing business at
all. Our head office being in Plymouth, it is necessary, by the peculiar
rules of the bank, that the floating balances should be so covered, and
I confess that your uncle is as great a sinner as any. Look at this?"

He pushed a check acros