ilmingtons--it was they who told me what he was. It's a good notion, Mr.
Allerdyke."

"What object?" asked Allerdyke.

"Simply to get a look at him," replied Appleyard. "Look here--you know
very well that there's a strong suspicion against Miss Slade. Miss Slade,
to my knowledge, is in close touch, with Rayner. Therefore, let's know
what we can about Rayner. You're the man to go and see him at his own
place. Do it--and we'll consider the question of having him watched by
the two Gaffneys when you've seen and talked to him."

Allerdyke considered this somewhat strange proposal in silence for a
while. At last he rose with a look of decision.

"Well, I've certainly a good excuse," he said. "Here, have that thing
packed up and put in a cab--I'll go."

Half an hour later he found himself shown into a smartly furnished office
where Mr. Gavin Ramsay sat at a handsome desk surrounded by shelves and
cabinets whereon and wherein were set out the products of the brains of
many inventors--models of machines, mechanical toys, labour-saving
notions, things plainly useful, things obviously extravagant. The
occupant of this museum glanced at Allerdyke and the box which he carried
with an amused smile, and Allerdyke said to himself that Appleyard was
right in his description--if the man was crippled and deformed he
certainly possessed a beautiful face.

"Mr. Marshall Allerdyke," said the hope of inventors, glancing at the
card which his visitor had sent in.

"The same, sir," replied Allerdyke, setting down his box. "Mr. Ramsay, I
presume? I heard of you, Mr. Ramsay, through Wilmingtons, in the City;
heard you can be of great use to inventors. I have here," he continued,
opening the box, "a railway chair, invented by one of my workmen, a
clever fellow. You see, it 'ud do away with the present system of putting
wooden blocks in the chairs now used--this would fasten the sleepers and
rails together automatically. It is patented--provisionally protected,
anyhow--but my man's never got a railway company to try it, so far. Think
you can do anything, Mr. Ramsay?"

The hunchback got up from his desk, took the invention out of its box,
and carefully inspected it, asking Allerdyke a few shrewd questions about
the thing's possibilities which showed the caller that he knew what he
was talking about. Then he sat down again and went into business details
in a way which impressed Allerdyke--clearly this man, whoever he was, and
whatever myste