etending
right along that he is afraid of exposure for that, and Nickleby has
felt so sure of him that there have been occasions when he has
permitted Jimmy to see behind the scenes and get a peek at some methods
of doing business that would not stand analysis."

"Have you tried to get a line on Nickleby's past, Miss Lawson?" asked
Phil with interest. "I understand that he was less than nobody when
your father befriended him, and he may have drifted up here from the
States and have a police record a yard long."

"We've thought of that. There is nothing in the local police records,
but I believe Mr. Wade is making some quiet investigations in the
States.

"Well, anyway, to make a long story short, Stiles knew the Alderson
Construction Company was planning to make a substantial contribution to
the Government campaign-fund--J. C. Nickleby, that is; for he really is
the Alderson Construction Company. When Jimmy reported this to me I
thought I saw a good chance to get some sensational illustrations for
the exposure story the _Recorder_ was after if only we could get hold
of the money long enough to photograph it. Jimmy was enthusiastic over
the idea and told me to leave it to him. On thinking it over more
carefully, though, I saw risks attached to the stunt which made it very
unwise, and when I met Jimmy by his own appointment at the Union
Station one night I asked him at once to make no attempt to obtain
possession of the money, even for a short time.

"But I was too late. He was carrying a suitcase and calmly informed me
that the money was inside. I was badly frightened. If we were caught
with that money in our possession we would be arrested at once as a
pair of ordinary thieves. I had jeopardized my editor's plans that we
had been working out so secretly and regretted the foolishness a
thousand times. Stiles wanted me to take the suitcase then and
there--take it home and do the photographing, then have a messenger
deliver it to Ferguson's office; or, if I preferred to give it back to
him, he'd arrange to get the money to its destination somehow without
anybody being able to trace it.

"But I was too frightened to decide and it was not long before I felt
that we were being watched. You cannot imagine a more disagreeable
feeling! We strolled around a bit to make sure that we really were
being followed and when we found that the man we suspected was still on
our trail, Jimmy was as badly scared as I was.