apers are of
interest to the collector of literary curiosities as being beyond a
doubt the original rough draft of that remarkable work "Illusion,"
then better known as--let me see, was it "Glow-worms"? no--something
like it, "Glamour!" They were found in your late rooms, and one
needn't be an expert to recognise that peculiar fist of yours. Are you
satisfied?'

Vincent had not expected this, having fancied that his loose papers
had all been destroyed, as he had certainly intended them to be on
leaving England. He was silent for some seconds, then he said: 'You
must get those papers for me: they are mine.'

'But, my dear fellow,' argued Caffyn, 'what earthly use can they be to
_you_?'

'What business is that of yours?' retorted Vincent. 'I want them--I
mean to have them.'

'You won't do any good by taking that tone with _me_, you know. Just
listen to reason: if you produce these papers yourself, you'll only be
laughed at for your pains. You must let some one else manage the
business for you. You can't smash Ashburn alone--you can't indeed!'

'And who told you,' said Vincent, 'that I want to smash Ashburn?'

'For Heaven's sake don't _you_ turn hypocrite!' drawled Caffyn. 'You
can speak out now--if you've got anything inside you but sawdust, of
_course_ you want to smash Ashburn! I saw your game long ago.'

'Did you?' said Vincent, who began to have the greatest difficulty in
keeping his temper. 'And what was my game?'

'Why,' explained Caffyn, 'you knew well enough that if you set up a
claim like that on your mere word, you wouldn't find many to believe
you, and you didn't feel up to such a fight as you would have before
you; so you've very prudently been lying low till you could get Master
Mark off his guard, or till something turned up to help you. Now's
your time. _I'll_ help you!'

'Then, once more, get me those papers,' said Vincent.

'To think,' observed Caffyn, with pity, 'that the man who could write
"Illusion" should be so dense. Don't I tell you you must keep in the
background? You leave it all to me. There's a literary fellow I know
who's on lots of journals that like nothing better than taking up
cases like yours, when they're satisfied there's something in them. I
can manage all that for you, and in a few days look out for an article
that will do Ashburn's business for him. You needn't be afraid of his
fighting--he'll never have the nerve to bring a libel action! But you
can't work this yourself