ll him of my lack of success in the
Skeels chase. Lord! I had sent her as concise a report as I could
make--to her, for Worth. I walked on stupidly. In front of the last door
in the big room, Cummings halted and spoke low.

"Boyne, you and I are both in the employ of the Van Ness Avenue Bank.
We're somewhat similarly situated in another quarter; I'm representing
the Gilbert estate, and you've been retained by Worth Gilbert."

I grunted some sort of assent.

"I brought you here to listen to what the bank crowd has to say, but
when they get done, I've something to tell you about that young employer
of yours. You listen to them--then you listen to me--and you'll know
where you stand."

"I'll talk with you as soon as I get through here, Cummings."

"Be sure you do that little thing," significantly, and we went in.

CHAPTER XV

AT DYKEMAN'S OFFICE

We found Whipple with Dykeman. I had always liked the president of the
Van Ness Avenue Bank well enough; one of the large, smooth, amiable
sort, not built to withstand stress of weather, apt to be rather
helpless before it. He seemed now mighty upset and worried. Dykeman
looked at me with hard eyes that searched me, but on the whole he was
friendly in his greeting and inquiries as to my health.

While I was getting out of my coat and stowing it, making a great deal
of the process so as to gain time, I saw Cummings was exchanging low
spoken words with the two of them. I tried to keep my mind on these men
before me and why I was with them, but all the while it would be running
back to the knock-out blow of seeing that girl in Dykeman's place. She
was double-crossing Worth! I might have grinned at the idea that I'd let
myself be fooled by a pair of big, expressive, wistful, merry black
eyes; but I had seen the look in those same eyes when they were turned
on my boy; to think she'd look at him like that, and sell him out, was
against nature. It was hurting me beyond all reason.

Whipple asked me about my trip south as though it was the most public
thing in the world and he knew its every detail, and accepted my reply
that I couldn't take one man's pay and report to another, with,

"Just so, Mr. Boyne. But your agency is retained--regularly, year by
year--by our bank. And our bank has given over none of its rights--I
should say duties--in regard to the Clayte case. We stand ready to
assist any one whose behavior seems to us that of a law-abiding citizen.
We don't w