will do me, if you've got a glass of ale to go with it," was
the reply.

"Got to have a real Englishman's drink, eh?" said the secret service
man, with a short laugh. "Well, I've remembered you and I can fix you
up to the queen's taste. Come on inside." And then the pair entered
the house.

CHAPTER XVII

AN INTERESTING CONVERSATION

Adam Adams had watched the appearance and disappearance of the two men
with interest. He remembered that Matlock Styles, the man who owed the
Langmore estate $16,000 on three mortgages, was an Englishman, with
mutton-chop whiskers. Evidently the man who had arrived with the
secret service employee was the same individual.

This being so, the question at once arose, what had brought the pair
together? Matlock Styles lived in an old colonial mansion, so Raymond
Case had said, a mile and a half from the Langmore estate. Did his
coming to Bryport have anything to do with the tragedy or with the
counterfeits?

Going close to the house once more, he heard the two men enter the
parlor and heard Watkins order supper. Then followed a conversation in
such a low tone that he could only catch an occasional word. He heard
something about mortgages and then a safe was mentioned, but he could
not catch the direct connection. Evidently though, they were
discussing the Langmore affair.

In a short while supper was served and the two men passed to the dining
hall. Here, while the girls were near, they spoke of matters in
general. The meal finished, John Watkins invited his visitor up to his
den on the second floor.

As said before, the house was on a corner, and by the lighting up of a
room above, Adam Adams located the den, just behind the main front
corner room, and close to a tree, which grew along the side street.
Looking around, the detective made certain that nobody was observing
him, and then began to climb the tree with the agility of a schoolboy.
One heavy branch ran out close to the building, and standing on this
brought him to within three feet of the window, which was screened and
open from the bottom to admit the air. The curtain was down to within
three inches of the window sill, thus affording the detective a chance
to peep into the apartment without running much risk of being
discovered.

"Then you say the mortgages have not been paid?" came from John Watkins.

"No, blast the luck!" growled Matlock Styles. "I didn't think he
wanted the cash so I let them run o