y, to play at speculation. It's a very old
story--particularly in Wall Street. I thought it was easy; I was lucky
at first; I would always be prudent--and so on. Then came the day when
I went out of my depth. In one week I was separated from my toll, as
Bunner expressed it when I told him; and I owed money too. I had had
my lesson. Now in this pass I went to Manderson and told him what I had
done and how I stood. He heard me with a very grim smile, and then, with
the nearest approach to sympathy I had ever found in him, he advanced
me a sum on account of my salary that would clear me. "Don't play the
markets any more," was all he said.

'Now on that Sunday night Manderson knew that I was practically without
any money in the world. He knew that Bunner knew it too. He may
have known that I had even borrowed a little more from Bunner
for pocket-money until my next cheque was due, which, owing to my
anticipation of my salary, would not have been a large one. Bear this
knowledge of Manderson's in mind.

'As soon as I had brought the car round I went into the library and
stated the difficulty to Manderson.

'What followed gave me, slight as it was, my first impression of
something odd being afoot. As soon as I mentioned the word "expenses"
his hand went mechanically to his left hip-pocket, where he always kept
a little case containing notes to the value of about a hundred pounds in
our money. This was such a rooted habit in him that I was astonished to
see him check the movement suddenly. Then, to my greater amazement, he
swore under his breath. I had never heard him do this before; but Bunner
had told me that of late he had often shown irritation in this way when
they were alone. "Has he mislaid his note-case?" was the question that
flashed through my mind. But it seemed to me that it could not affect
his plan at all, and I will tell you why. The week before, when I
had gone up to London to carry out various commissions, including the
booking of a berth for Mr George Harris, I had drawn a thousand pounds
for Manderson from his bankers, and all, at his request, in notes of
small amounts. I did not know what this unusually large sum in cash was
for, but I did know that the packets of notes were in his locked desk
in the library, or had been earlier in the day, when I had seen him
fingering them as he sat at the desk.

'But instead of turning to the desk, Manderson stood looking at me.
There was fury in his face, and it was