ry pretty things," said Mr. Barker; "and to know them
intimately is a special grace. But they cannot swear to what they do not
know anything about, any more than other people." And he lit another
cigar, and looked at the clock, an old-fashioned black-marble timepiece
with gilded hands. It wanted half an hour of midnight, and Mr. Barker's
solitude had lasted since seven or thereabouts. Some one entered the
room, bidding good-night to some one else at the door. Mr. Barker turned
his eyes, and, recognising a friend, he smiled a wrinkled smile.

"Well, Mr. Screw, how goes it?" he said. "It is some time since we met."

"Happy to meet you, sir; glad to see you," replied the lawyer, putting
out a long hand towards the part of the room where Mr. Barker was
standing.

Mr. Screw was Mr. Scratch's partner. Mr. Screw was very tall, very thin,
and exceedingly yellow. He had thick yellow hair, streaked with gray.
His face seemed bound in old parchment, and his eyes were like brass
nails driven very deep, but bright and fixed when he spoke. He had a
great abundance of teeth of all sizes and shapes; his face was clean
shaven; and he wore a stand-up collar, with a narrow black tie neatly
adjusted in a bow. His feet and hands were of immense size. He was in
evening-dress. He doubled up a few of his joints and deposited himself
in a deep arm-chair--the twin of Barker's--on the other side of the
fireplace.

"I thought very likely you would be here before the evening was out,"
said Mr. Barker. "Yes," he continued after a pause, "that is the reason
I came here. I wanted to see you on business, and I missed you to-day
down town."

"Oh! business, did you say?" inquired the other, rubbing his bony nose
and looking at the empty grate.

"Yes, rather important to you--more than to myself, though it concerns
me too. You have a new client, I believe; the nephew of our old partner
Mr. Lindstrand."

"Dr. Claudius?" asked the lawyer, looking up.

"He calls himself so, at any rate," said Barker.

"What do you mean?" asked Mr. Screw quickly, shifting his position.

"Do you think you have taken all the necessary steps towards
ascertaining that he is the heir--the right man--the real Dr. Claudius?"

"Great heavens!" exclaimed the lawyer, surprised and terribly frightened
by Barker's insinuation, "you don't mean to say there is any doubt about
it, do you?"

"I am inclined to think there is doubt--yes, decidedly. It is a very
serious matter, a