orning trying to load
me up," he continued presently, when the cigar was drawing to his
satisfaction. "Must have stayed up all night to be in time," he
added scathingly.

"Have you seen Goldschmidt himself?"

"Not since yesterday afternoon."

"Does he usually carry an umbrella?"

Lindler laughed.

"The boys call him 'Gampy Goldschmidt,'" he said.

"You really think that the Goldschmidt gang is Backing Jefferson?"

"They've been at it for the last week," was the response. "They
_know_ something, Mr. Sage. Somebody's going to do the dirty,
otherwise they wouldn't be so blasted clever about it?"

"Clever?"

"Putting on all they can on the Q.T.," was the response.

"Find out all you can about Goldschmidt and his friends. Keep in
touch with me here if you learn anything. Incidentally, keep on the
water-wagon until after the fight."

"Right-o!" said Lindler, rising; "but I wish you'd tell me----"

"I have told you," said Malcolm Sage, and with that he took the
proffered hand and, a moment later, Dick Lindler passed through the
outer door. As he did so, he almost collided with Thompson, who
had just jumped out of Malcolm Sage's car and was dashing towards
the door. Thompson rushed across the outer-office, through the
glass-panelled door, and passed swiftly into Malcolm Sage's room.

"It's the car right enough, Chief," he said, making an effort to
control his excitement. "I picked it up outside Jimmy Dilk's. There
were three men in it."

Malcolm Sage nodded, then, opening a drawer, produced a sealed
packet.

"If I'm not back here by half-past four," he said, "ring up
Inspector Wensdale, and ask him to come round at once with a couple
of men and wait in the outer office. Give him this packet. There's a
letter inside. If he's not there, get anyone else you know."

Thompson stared. In spite of long association with Malcolm Sage,
there were still times when he failed to follow his chief's line of
reasoning.

"If I telephone or write cancelling these instructions, ignore
anything I say. Do you understand?"

"I understand, Chief," said Thompson.

Malcolm Sage picked up his hat and stick and left the room.

Tims, who had been waiting at the outer door, sprang to his seat and,
almost before the door of the car had closed, it jerked forward and
was soon threading its sinuous way towards Coventry Street.

Five minutes later Malcolm Sage pressed a bell-push on the fifth
floor of a large block of flats known as