il.
"I'll take care of this. Run down to the street, now, quick, and get me
a this morning's paper. There's a newsboy right in front of the house.
Here's a half-dollar; keep the change!"

The boy seemed startled at the action, but Bristol had been so impetuous
about it; that he had relinquished the tray and started down stairs,
but, recovering himself, came back and reached his hand up as if to take
the letter.

"Tut, tut," said Bristol angrily, picking up the letter and carelessly
putting it in his pocket without looking at the address, "I'll take care
of everything until you get back; get along with you now!"

Bristol was noted for his benign and fatherly appearance, and, after
another good look at him, the waiter took a brisk trot down stairs,
leaving the detective in possession of the letter. He hastily put the
tray upon the floor, and whisking the letter from his pocket, saw that
it was addressed with a pencil, to "J. Devereaux, No. --, Yonge St.,"
and marked "Personal." It was but the work of an instant to open it, and
but of a moment to read it, as it was short and to the point, and ran as
follows:

QUEEN'S HOTEL, TORONTO, Sept. 6, 186--.

DEVEREAUX--I am hard up. I need one thousand dollars, though
five hundred will do, but I must have that amount at once. You
have intimated that you would not help me any further. I have
merely to say to you that if you do not either call with, or
send the money, during the day, I will cause you to reflect as
to whether your business and social reputation are not worth
to you and your estimable family immeasurably more than the
trifle named. Exercise your own pleasure about the matter
however.

MRS. W.

Bristol copied this upon the back of the addressed envelope in less than
a minute, and in a minute more had the note enclosed in another envelope
and addressed in a handwriting sufficiently similar to that of Mrs.
Winslow's to answer every purpose, and had just got into a calm and
bland position with the tray, when the boy came up the stairs, three
steps at a time, gave the paper a toss into the hall, jerked the letter
out of Bristol's hand, and after giving him a look that had considerable
resentment in it, strode down the stairs with his tray on his shoulder
and his letter in his pocket, in a very offended and dignified manner.

But as Bristol was on this kind of business at