hero.

"Have you the document with you?"

"Yes, ma'am," and Nat brought it forth. "You will have to have somebody
as a witness. Can I call somebody for you?"

The old lady mused for a moment.

"I don't believe Rufus will do it," she said, half aloud.

"Do you mean the gentleman I met downstairs?"

"Yes, my nephew, Rufus Cameron. He does not wish me to transact business
with Mr. Garwell. You may call John, my hired man. He is quite
intelligent."

"Where will I find him?"

"You will--but never mind, Mary can call him."

Mrs. Parloe touched a bell, and soon Mary appeared, and went off to find
the hired man. In the meantime, Nat fixed a reading stand so it could be
used as a writing table, and brought out a stylographic pen his employer
had given him.

Soon the hired man appeared. He was fairly well educated, and showed it
in his face and manner.

"I am going to sign this document, John," said the old lady. "I wish you
to witness my signature."

"Yes, ma'am."

Not without something of an effort, Mrs. Parloe affixed her signature to
the paper. Then Nat handed the document to John, and told him where to
place his own name in full, and also his address. In a minute the matter
was concluded, and Mrs. Parloe told the hired man to go, and he did so.

"I trust Mr. Garwell has no further difficulty in this matter," said the
old lady, as Nat stowed the document away in his pocket.

"He told me to say that he is going to put it through just as soon as
he can," answered Nat. "I don't know anything more about it than that."

"Are you one of his clerks?"

"Yes, ma'am--his private clerk."

"You are rather young for such a position."

"I suppose I am, but Mr. Garwell seems to like me, and I am doing what I
can to please him."

"Mr. Garwell is a good man," said the old lady, and there the interview
came to an end, and Nat left the room. He was just going to leave the
house when the dark-eyed man stepped into the lower hallway, and caught
him by the arm.

CHAPTER XX

RUFUS CAMERON'S BOLD MOVE

"What do you want?" demanded our hero. He did not like the idea of being
detained, now that his business was concluded.

"I want to talk to you a minute," said the man. "Come into the parlor."

"I am in something of a hurry, Mr.----"

"My name is Rufus Cameron. Mrs. Parloe is my aunt. I must talk to you.
Come in."

Rufus Cameron caught a firm hold of our hero and almost forced him into
the parlor. Then he