will and responsibility. How do I know that you are a detective at
all?"

"Quite right! Here is my badge. I am in the department here."

"Very well so far, but now how can you prove that you have any good
reason for assisting me?"

"You are a hard man to help, I declare. Why, what object but a friendly
one can I have?"

"I am not prepared to answer that at present. Perhaps I shall be able to
do so later."

"Oh, very well! You can look me up all you want to. I can stand it, I
assure you. But really I did want to help, though of course I have no
right to intrude. As you say you do not need me, why I----"

"I did not say that I would not accept your aid. You must not think me
ungracious. I am simply a detective, and careful from habit. I certainly
should not speak confidentially to a man that I meet for the first time,
and so disclose any of my own purposes. But it is different with you.
You must have had a definite idea, by which you expect to give me
assistance, or you would not have come here. If you are earnest and
honest, I see no reason why you should not disclose the main purpose of
your visit at once."

"If only to prove my honesty, I will do so. I believe you are looking
for Leroy Mitchel. If so I can tell you how to find him in a few hours,
or at the worst in a day or two."

"You know of a Leroy Mitchel, who is now in this city?"

"I do. He is over in Algiers, a worker in one of the car houses. He is a
common drunken brute, and that is the only reason why there would be any
difficulty about finding him. When he is sober he is easy to see, but as
soon as he gets some money he is off on another spree."

"Do you know of a woman by the name of Rose Mitchel?"

"Certainly. That is, I did know such a woman once. But she has not been
in New Orleans for years. At one time any one could have given you her
address. I see now that this man is the one whom you want, for once he
passed as this woman's husband."

"You are sure of this?"

"Positive."

"When and where can I see this man?"

"He works in the shops of the Louisiana and Texas Railroad over in
Algiers. You can find him through the foreman."

"Mr. Sefton, it may be that you have given me information which will be
of service to me. If so you will not regret it. I will myself examine
into the matter. For the present, if I do not make a confident of you,
you must attribute it to caution rather than to distrust."

"Oh, I am not easily offended. I woul