oo old for the job.

"Asa 'd think I was crazy, if I told him about it," he mumbled.

* * * * *

Inside the office, Asa Gregg heard the muttered words plainly. He sat
very still in the big, leather-cushioned chair, hardly breathing until
the scrape of the watchman's feet had thinned away down the hall.
There was no light in the room to betray him; only the cherry-colored
tip of his cigar, which couldn't be visible through the frosted glass
door. Anyway, it'd be an hour before the watchman's round brought him
past the office again. Asa Gregg had that hour, if he could screw up
his nerve to use it....

He took the frayed end of the cigar from his mouth. His hand, which
had wasted to mere skin and bone these past few months, groped through
the darkness, slid over the polished coolness of the dictaphone hood,
and snapped the switch. Machinery faintly whirred. His fingers found
the tube, lifted it.

"Miss Carruthers!" he snapped. Then he hesitated. Surely, he could
trust Mary Carruthers! He'd never wondered about her before. She'd
been his secretary for a dozen years--lately, since he couldn't look
after affairs himself as he used to, she had practically run the
business. She was forty, sensible, unbeautiful, and tight-lipped.
Hell, he had to trust her!

His voice plunged into the darkness.

"What I have to say now is intended for Mrs. Gregg's ears only. She
will take the first boat home, of course. Meet that boat and bring her
to the office. Since my wife knows nothing about a dictaphone, it will
be necessary for you to set this record running. As soon as you have
done so, leave her alone in the room. Make sure she's not interrupted
for a half-hour. That's all."

He waited a decent interval. The invisible needle peeled its thread
into the revolving wax cylinder.

"Jeannette," muttered Asa Gregg, and hesitated again. This wasn't
going to be easy to say. He decided to begin matter-of-factly. "As you
probably know, my will and the insurance policies are in the vault at
the First National. I believe you will find all of my papers in
excellent order. If any questions arise, consult Miss Carruthers. What
I have to say to you now is purely personal--I feel, my dear, that I
owe you an explanation--that is----"

God, it came harder than he had expected.

"Jeannette," he started in afresh, "you remember three years ago when
I was in the hospital. You were in Palm Beach at the time, and I w