me
here with a list of what are called debts of honor, which he found in
his room. There they are, and the names of the men they are owed to; of
course some of them have been fairly won, but I have a strong suspicion
that those I have marked with a cross have not been. For instance, there
is Sir James Flash, a fellow who was turned out of White's two years
ago for sharp practice with cards; there is John Emerson, he is a man of
good family, but all his friends have given him up long ago, and he has
been living by his wits for the last five years. The others marked
are all of the same sort. Now, what I want you to do is to become a
frequenter of the place; of course you will have to play a little, and
as you are a stranger I expect that they will let you win for a bit;
but if not the old gentleman has placed 200 pounds in my hands for the
expenses."

"I could play with my own money," Mark said rather warmly.

"You forget, Mr. Thorndyke," the chief said firmly, "that at the present
moment you are a member of my force, and that you go to this place in
that capacity, and not as Squire of Crowswood; therefore you must, if
you please, do as I instruct you. The gentleman will be ready to pay
that sum. As you see, the amounts entered here total up to nearly 10,000
pounds. He said that it will ruin him to pay that sum, but that he
must do so rather than his son should be branded as a defaulter. I have
advised him to write to all these people saying that it will take him
some time to raise the money, but that he will see that nobody shall be
a loser by his son's debts. I have told him in the meantime that I will
endeavor to get proof that the play was not fair, and in that case he
would, of course, refuse to pay any of the claims on that ground; and
you may be sure that if unfair play was proved none of those concerned
would dare to press their claims."

"Then my function would be simply to watch?"

"Yes, to watch, and to bring me word of anything you may observe. You
see, without making a public scandal, if it could be found that a man
was discovered cheating, and the way in which he was doing it, one would
be able to put so strong a pressure on him, that not only might he be
forced to abstain from going to any club, but would be frightened into
giving up any IOUs he might hold."

"I shall be glad to do the best I can, sir; but frankly I know next
to nothing of cards, and should have but little chance of detecting
anything