he application for the loan, of having been mere
formalities, designed to pave the way for the parting inquiry addressed
to me.

I had satisfied myself of the correctness of this conclusion--and was
trying to get on a step further, and penetrate the Indian's motives
next--when a letter was brought to me, which proved to be from no less
a person that Mr. Septimus Luker himself. He asked my pardon in terms of
sickening servility, and assured me that he could explain matters to
my satisfaction, if I would honour him by consenting to a personal
interview.

I made another unprofessional sacrifice to mere curiosity. I honoured
him by making an appointment at my office, for the next day.

Mr. Luker was, in every respect, such an inferior creature to the
Indian--he was so vulgar, so ugly, so cringing, and so prosy--that he
is quite unworthy of being reported, at any length, in these pages. The
substance of what he had to tell me may be fairly stated as follows:

The day before I had received the visit of the Indian, Mr. Luker had
been favoured with a call from that accomplished gentleman. In spite of
his European disguise, Mr. Luker had instantly identified his visitor
with the chief of the three Indians, who had formerly annoyed him by
loitering about his house, and who had left him no alternative but to
consult a magistrate. From this startling discovery he had rushed to
the conclusion (naturally enough I own) that he must certainly be in the
company of one of the three men, who had blindfolded him, gagged him,
and robbed him of his banker's receipt. The result was that he became
quite paralysed with terror, and that he firmly believed his last hour
had come.

On his side, the Indian preserved the character of a perfect stranger.
He produced the little casket, and made exactly the same application
which he had afterwards made to me. As the speediest way of getting rid
of him, Mr. Luker had at once declared that he had no money. The Indian
had thereupon asked to be informed of the best and safest person to
apply to for the loan he wanted. Mr. Luker had answered that the best
and safest person, in such cases, was usually a respectable solicitor.
Asked to name some individual of that character and profession, Mr.
Luker had mentioned me--for the one simple reason that, in the extremity
of his terror, mine was the first name which occurred to him. "The
perspiration was pouring off me like rain, sir," the wretched creature
co