on, you are singularly--shall I say--'furtive'?"

"Hush!" whispered Farrington, hoarsely. He glanced about half-fearfully.

The younger man ignored the outburst. He laid a persuasive hand upon his
companion's arm.

"My friend," he said gravely, "let me give you a bit of good advice.
Believe me, I speak disinterestedly. Take me into your counsel. I think
you need assistance--and I have already given you a taste of my quality
in that respect. This afternoon when I called upon you in your home in
Brakely Square, suggesting that a man of my standing might be of immense
value to you, you were at first innocently dull, then suspicious. After
I told you of my adventures in the office of a certain Society journal
you were angry. Frankly," the young man shrugged his shoulders, "I am a
penniless adventurer--can I be more frank than that? I call myself
Count Poltavo--yet the good God knows that my family can give no greater
justification to the claim of nobility than the indiscretions of lovely
Lydia Poltavo, my grandmother, can offer. For the matter of that I might
as well be prince on the balance of probability. I am living by my wits:
I have cheated at cards, I have hardly stopped short of murder--I need
the patronage of a strong wealthy man, and you fulfill all my
requirements."

He bowed slightly to the other, and went on:

"You challenged me to prove my worth--I accepted that challenge.
To-night, as you entered the theatre, you were told by a messenger that
T. B. Smith--a most admirable man--was watching you--that he had
practically surrounded the Jollity with detectives, and, moreover, I
chose as my messenger a small youth who has served you more than once.
Thus at one stroke I proved that not only did I know what steps
authority was taking to your undoing, but also that I had surprised this
splendid rendezvous--and your secret."

He waived his hand around the sordid room, and his eyes rested awhile
upon the silent, ulster-covered figure on the bed; his action was not
without intent.

"You are an interesting man," said Farrington, gruffly. He looked at his
watch. "Join my party at the Jollity," he said; "we can talk matters
over. Incidentally, we may challenge Mr. Smith." He smiled, but grew
grave again. "I have lost a good friend there"--he looked at the form on
the bed; "there is no reason why you should not take his place. Is it
true--what you said to-day--that you know something of applied
mechanics?"

"I have