one," replied White sharply, "and I wish to Heaven----"

He stopped himself.

"And you wish you weren't, eh?"

Again the older man wriggled in his chair.

"Doctor van Heerden is very clever," he said; "he has great schemes, in
one of which I am--ah--financially interested, That is all--I have put
money into his--ah--syndicate, without, of course, knowing the nature of
the work which is being carried out. That I would impress upon you."

"You are a trusting investor," said the good-humoured McNorton.

"I am a child in matters of finance," admitted Mr. White, but added
quickly, "except, of course, in so far as the finance of Punsonby's,
which is one of the soundest business concerns in London, Mr. McNorton.
We pay our dividends regularly and our balance sheets are a model for
the industrial world."

"So I have heard," said McNorton dryly. "I am interested in syndicates,
too. By the way, what is Doctor van Heerden's scheme?"

Mr. White shrugged his shoulders.

"I haven't the slightest idea," he confessed with a melancholy smile. "I
suppose it is very foolish of me, but I have such faith in the doctor's
genius that when he came to me and said: 'My dear White, I want you to
invest a few thousand in one of my concerns,' I said: 'My dear doctor,
here is my cheque, don't bother me about the details but send in my
dividends regularly.' Ha! ha!"

His laugh was hollow, and would not have deceived a child of ten.

"So you invested L40,000----" began McNorton.

"Forty thousand!" gasped Mr. White, "how did you know?"

He went a trifle paler.

"These things get about," said McNorton, "as I was going to say, you
invested L40,000 without troubling to discover what sort of work the
syndicate was undertaking. I am not speaking now as a police officer,
Mr. White," he went on, and White did not disguise his relief, "but as
an old acquaintance of yours."

"Say friend," said the fervent Mr. White. "I have always regarded you,
Mr. McNorton, as a friend of mine. Let me see, how long have we known
one another? I think the first time we met was when Punsonby's was
burgled in '93."

"It's a long time," said McNorton; "but don't let us get off the subject
of your investment, which interests me as a friend. You gave Doctor van
Heerden all this money without even troubling to discover whether his
enterprise was a legal one. I am not suggesting it was illegal," he
said, as White opened his mouth to protest, "but it seems strange tha