instead of Mr. Davager, and you give me the money instead of giving it
to him. It's a precious risk for me, but I'm ready to run it. You must
pay your five hundred any way. What do you say to my plan? Is it Yes,
Mr. Frank, or No?"

"Hang your questions!" cries Mr. Frank, jumping up; "you know it's Yes
ten thousand times over. Only you earn the money and--"

"And you will be too glad to give it to me. Very good. Now go home.
Comfort the young lady--don't let Mr. Davager so much as set eyes on
you--keep quiet--leave everything to me--and feel as certain as you
please that all the letters in the world can't stop your being married
on Wednesday." With these words I hustled him off out of the office, for
I wanted to be left alone to make my mind up about what I should do.

The first thing, of course, was to have a look at the enemy. I wrote to
Mr. Davager, telling him that I was privately appointed to arrange the
little business matter between himself and "another party" (no names!)
on friendly terms; and begging him to call on me at his earliest
convenience. At the very beginning of the case, Mr. Davager bothered
me. His answer was, that it would not be convenient to him to call till
between six and seven in the evening. In this way, you see, he contrived
to make me lose several precious hours, at a time when minutes almost
were of importance. I had nothing for it but to be patient, and to give
certain instructions, before Mr. Davager came, to my boy Tom.

There never was such a sharp boy of fourteen before, and there never
will be again, as my boy Tom. A spy to look after Mr. Davager was, of
course, the first requisite in a case of this kind; and Tom was the
smallest, quickest, quietest, sharpest, stealthiest little snake of a
chap that ever dogged a gentleman's steps and kept cleverly out of range
of a gentleman's eyes. I settled it with the boy that he was not to show
at all when Mr. Davager came; and that he was to wait to hear me ring
the bell when Mr. Davager left. If I rang twice, he was to show the
gentleman out. If I rang once, he was to keep out of the way, and follow
the gentleman whereever he went till he got back to the inn. Those were
the only preparations I could make to begin with; being obliged to wait,
and let myself be guided by what turned up.

About a quarter to seven my gentleman came.

In the profession of the law we get somehow quite remarkably mixed up
with ugly people, blackguard people, and