and and wife, he has driven the man I love into
exile. And the poor wife is gradually going hopelessly mad under his
cruelties. And he blackmails us, he extorts large sums of money from us.
If you only knew what we have suffered at the hands of the rascal!"

Rawlins nodded in sympathy.

"I did not imagine that," he said. "Of course, I have known for years
that Henson was pretty bad. You may smile, but I have never had any
sympathy with his methods and hypocritical ways, perhaps because I never
did anything of the kind myself. Nobody can say that I ever robbed
anybody who was poor or defenceless or foolish. By heavens, I am a more
honest man than hundreds of London and New York capitalists. It is the
hard rogues amongst us who have always been my mark. But to injure and
wound women and children!"

"Which means that you are going to help me?" Chris asked, quietly.

"As far as I can, certainly. Especially as you are going to let Henson
down easily. Now please ask me any questions that you like."

"This is very good of you," said Chris. "In the first place, did you ever
hear Mr. Henson speak of his relations or friends?"

"Nobody beyond Lord Littimer. You see, Henson and I were extremely useful
to one another once or twice, but he never trusted me, and I never
trusted him. I never cared for his methods."

"Did you go to Brighton lately on purpose to help him?"

"Certainly not. I had business in Brighton for some considerable time,
and my daughter was with me. When she went away to stay with friends for
a short time I moved to the Metropole."

"Then why did you go to Walen's in Brighton and ask them to show you some
gun-metal cigar-cases like the one in Lockhart's window?"

"Simply because Henson asked me to. He came to me just before I went to
the Metropole and told me he had a big thing on. He didn't give me the
least idea what it was, nor did I ask him. He suggested the idea of the
cigar-case, and said that I need not go near Walen's again, and I didn't.
I assure you I had no curiosity on the matter. In any case a little thing
like that couldn't hurt me. Some days later Henson came to me again, and
asked me to go to Lockhart's and purchase the cigar-case I had previously
seen. He wanted me to get the case so that I could not be traced. Again I
agreed. I was leaving the Metropole the next day, so the matter was easy.
I called and purchased the cigar-case on approval, I forwarded
dollar-notes in payment from the M