in signs," was
the surprising response.

The visitor faced about as he spoke, and Martin took stock of him. He
was a hunchback. He was seedily clad in a shiny black suit, but a
modish green velvet hat, several sizes too small, perched precariously
atop his very large head and gave him an oddly rakish appearance. But
his face was pleasing--a wide grin, a snub nose, a pair of twinkling
eyes beneath a broad, intelligent forehead. Martin immediately
commenced to thaw as the other smiled.

The hunchback carried a book under one arm, a formidable appearing
volume. With a dexterous flirt, he bounced it into his hand and thrust
it beneath Martin's very nose.

"The bargain of the century--cannot afford to miss it--wonderful
opportunity first time offered," he began in a sing-song.

Martin stiffened with surprise. Not at the words; he was accustomed to
book-agents of strange guise. But the voice! A rich, throaty tenor
with not a squeak in it. The man's discourse was like a song.

"Cost you nothing. Wonderful Compendium of Universal
Knowledge--compiled after years of labor--faculties of great
universities. Cost you nothing; Absolutely free."

The golden voice sang on. Martin found his gaze upon the book, and
then upon the hand that held the book. That hand! Surely, no
book-agent ever possessed such a hand--brown-backed, big, and muscular,
plainly the hand of an outdoors man. Where the sleeve fell away from
the wrist Martin glimpsed the blue of a tattooed figure. A sailor's
hand?

He raised his eyes to the hunchback's face, noting as he did the great
length of arm, and the unnaturally square yet muscular shoulder. And
the face! A book-agent might be expected to have tanned cheeks, his
occupation not being a sedentary one. But surely, such a bronzed and
weather-lined coating as this man's face wore was never gained by
winning past janitors or tramping city streets.

"Possible to make offer only because of great advertising campaign--you
reap advantage free of charge. Wonderful volume absolutely free. You
merely subscribe to _Coleman's Weekly_--ten cents a week, fifty cents a
month, price of magazine--wonderful Compendium of Universal
Knowledge--cost you absolutely nothing----"

The hunchback pattered on. Book-agent or no, Martin conceded he had
the technique of the craft at his tongue's tip. His eyes--suddenly,
Martin was aware of the peculiar behavior of the other's eyes. The
were roving about th