to
look a newspaper in the face; but never again! Never again!"

I made my way over to Gilbert and stood in front of him.

"You've bought something, boy," I said. "If you mean to keep me on as
your detective, you can assure these people that I'll do my darndest to
give information to the police and keep it out of the papers. What's
happened here won't get any further than this room--through me."

"You're hired, Jerry Boyne." Gilbert slapped me on the back
affectionately. After all, he hadn't changed so much in his four years
over there; I began to see more than traces of the enthusiastic
youngster to whom I used to spin detective yarns in the grill at the St.
Francis or on the rocks by the Cliff House. "Sure, we'll keep it out of
the papers. Suits me. I'd rather not pose as the fool soon parted from
his money."

The remark was apropos; Knapp had feverishly beckoned the lawyer over to
a little side desk; they were down at it, the light snapped on, writing,
trying to frame up an agreement that would hold water. One by one the
others went and looked on nervously as they worked; by the time they'd
finished something, everybody'd seen it but Worth; and when it was
finally put in his hands, all he seemed to notice was the one point of
the time they'd set for payment.

"It'll be quite some stunt to get the amount together by ten o'clock
Monday," he said slowly. "There are securities to be converted--"

He paused, and looked up on a queer hush.

"Securities?" croaked Dykeman. "To be converted--? Oh!"

"Yes," in some surprise. "Or would the bank prefer to have them turned
over in their present form?"

Again a strained moment, broken by Whipple's nervous,

"Maybe that would be better," and a quickly suppressed chuckle from
Cummings.

The agreement was in duplicate. It gave Worth Gilbert complete ownership
of a described sole-leather suitcase and its listed contents, and, as he
had demanded, it bound him to nothing save the payment. Cummings said
frankly that the transaction was illegal from end to end, and that any
assurance as to the bank's ceasing to pursue Clayte would amount to
compounding a felony. Yet we all signed solemnly, the lawyer and I as
witnesses. A financier's idea of indecency is something about money
which hasn't formerly been done. The directors got sorer and sorer as
Worth Gilbert's cheerfulness increased.

"Acts as though it were a damn' crap game," I heard Dykeman muttering to
Sillsbee, who ca