The Man Who Knew too much

lliard room, which the former owner of Weald Lodge had added to his premises, and John Minute, who had neither

a dozen books, a microscope under a glass shade, a little wooden case which was opened to display an array of delicate scientific inst

he table and the blue glow of the Bunsen lamp, the room was in darkness. Now and again the student would take a glass rod, dip it for an instant into the boiling liquid, and, lifting it, would allow the liquid drop by drop to fall

heavy, black, wavy hair. He closed the window, filled his pipe from the well-worn pouch which he took from his poc

oughts to judge by his face. He pulled from his inside pocket a leather case and opened it. From this he took a photograph. It was the picture of a girl of si

eplaced the photograph in his case, folded it, and re

o entered, snif

" he growled. "Why on earth don't they invent

le laughe

t nature has ordered

ished?" asked

till warm bowl of

"It is only noxious when it is boilin

Minute, scowling down a

ne or two elements which will only mix with the others at a certain temperature, and as an experiment it

inner, even though it has gon

said Jasper Cole. "I'm awfully

was as usual a fairly silent meal. John Minute read the newspapers, particularly

uying Gwelo Deeps,"

r loo

said. "But they

two shillings and threepence. I've got five hundred thousand of them; to be exact," he corrected himse

ve found gold,"

inute

nds on the downs," he said scornfully. "By the way,

yebrows as much in inter

in his chair and manipul

fly. "He lured me into the Gwelo Deeps against my better judgment W

his brief, ru

cess. Poor old Bill Nuttall! He

e done your best for

a wry face. "But May is as honest and as sweet as they make them. She's the sort of gi

e conceale

you grinning at?"

hat there was no nonse

ute swun

rl I would like you to marry; in fact, sh

thing to say about that," said

o do as he's told. He's a lucky young man and a bit of a rascal, too, I'm thinki

r loo

es

," growled

it. This was the routine which marked every evening of his life save on those occasions when he made a visit to London. He was in the mid

d about May

ut down

ied!

ther. "I wish you wouldn't ask me a lot of quest

d," said his confidential secretary pa

hate responsibilities of all kinds.

subject, nor did he retu

opened up

ere when I was out, I

his aftern

ou see

er n

did he

I could make out. You were sayi

doesn't drink; he eats it. What do you

rankly, "and I can't understand why you go to such trou

e are two ways out of a difficulty, one of which is unpleasant and one of which is less unpleasant, I take the less unpleasant of the two. It i

from the chair and

so sure that they would look well in print, though I am not sensitive as to what newspapers say about me or I should have been in my grave years ago; but Sergeant Smith and his knowledge touches me at a raw place

c," suggeste

the long uns; when I was twelve I couldn't write my own nam

ckled

ding his head. "That's Sergeant Smith. He i

Wiseman--"

through his rumpled gray hair, "is a dangerous devil becaus

asper. "I met him on the road a

gruffly. "That silly ass has summoned me three times.

ole. "He's rather stupid, but otherwise he is a d

g worth repeating?"

t Sergeant Smith i

ng over a jag. The keenest sense of duty is that possessed by a man who has broken the law and has not been found out. I thin

worrying you?

orrying me," s

looked at

rong with

e, is accountant at one of its branches removes any lingering doubt in my mind as to its stability.

a cigar bef

d things out in this worl

else," boomed John

for five minutes later John Minute appeared in the doorway, minus his tie and coat, h

eeps and ask him if there is any report. By the way, you a

ed the star

You had better find out or you will be getting me into a lot o

rs, too?" asked J

an, but there has never been any need to hold a meeting. Y

a quarter of an hour later

f money. You might inquire of their secretary. _They_ will have a s

board and mixed himse

If he comes to-morrow tell him I will see him when I return.

er n

Jasper?" asked the older man, standing by

er. "I think you are eccentric sometimes and incli

r shook

I was in Zululand an old witch doctor 'tossed

have," said Jasper,

it were, I am too law-abiding. A law-abiding man is one who is afraid of people who are not law-abiding, and I am getting to that stage. You laugh at me because I'm jumpy whenever I see a stranger hanging around the house, but I have got more enemies to the square yard than most people have to the county. I suppose you thin

fered no

hey're young or old, good, bad, or indifferent:

laughed

very good opini

nity," corrected his chief

for some time; then he heard the bed creak. He closed the windows, personally inspect

n took an unopened letter which had come that evening and which, by his deft handling of

velope, extracted t

t we have given you satisfactory service. The search has been a very long and, I am afraid, a very expens

ading, and was sign

n, striking a match, lit the pape