n he has accomplices--that Scotsman and the whole gang. Ah,
if I had accomplices!"

Necessity is the mother of the arts. Under a spur so immediate, Morris
surprised himself by the neatness and despatch of his new forgery, and
within three-fourths of an hour had handed it to Mr. Moss.

"That is very satisfactory," observed that gentleman, rising. "I was to
tell you it will not be presented, but you had better take care."

The room swam round Morris. "What--what's that!" he cried, grasping the
table. He was miserably conscious the next moment of his shrill tongue
and ashen face. "What do you mean--it will not be presented? Why am I to
take care? What is all this mummery?"

"I have no idea, Mr. Finsbury," replied the smiling Hebrew. "It was a
message I was to deliver. The expressions were put into my mouth."

"What is your client's name?" asked Morris.

"That is a secret for the moment," answered Mr. Moss.

Morris bent toward him. "It's not the bank?" he asked hoarsely.

"I have no authority to say more, Mr. Finsbury," returned Mr. Moss. "I
will wish you a good morning, if you please."

"Wish me a good morning!" thought Morris; and the next moment, seizing
his hat, he fled from his place of business like a madman. Three streets
away he stopped and groaned. "Lord! I should have borrowed from the
manager!" he cried. "But it's too late now; it would look dicky to go
back; I'm penniless--simply penniless--like the unemployed."

He went home and sat in the dismantled dining-room with his head in his
hands. Newton never thought harder than this victim of circumstances,
and yet no clearness came. "It may be a defect in my intelligence," he
cried, rising to his feet, "but I cannot see that I am fairly used. The
bad luck I've had is a thing to write to the _Times_ about; it's enough
to breed a revolution. And the plain English of the whole thing is that
I must have money at once. I'm done with all morality now; I'm long past
that stage; money I must have, and the only chance I see is Bent
Pitman. Bent Pitman is a criminal, and therefore his position's weak. He
must have some of that eight hundred left; if he has I'll force him to
go shares; and even if he hasn't, I'll tell him the tontine affair, and
with a desperate man like Pitman at my back, it'll be strange if I don't
succeed."

Well and good. But how to lay hands upon Bent Pitman, except by
advertisement, was not so clear. And even so, in what terms to ask a
meetin