n opposition to the
resolution I had made at the beginning, I accepted his commission at
the end of it.

Nevertheless, my American experiences are those of which I am least
proud, and all I care to say upon the subject is that my expedition
proved completely successful. The late convict was my companion on the
_Arontic_, the first steamship sailing for England after we reached
New York from the west. Of course I knew that two or three years
roughing it in mining camps and on ranches, followed by five years in
prison, must have produced a radical effect not only on the character,
but also in the personal appearance of a man who had undergone these
privations. Nevertheless, making due allowance for all this, I could
not but fear that the ancient English family, of which this young man
was the hope and pride, would be exceedingly disappointed with him. In
spite of the change which grooming and the wearing of a civilised
costume made, Wyoming Ed still looked much more the criminal than the
gentleman. I considered myself in honour bound not to make any
inquiries of the young man regarding his parentage. Of course, if I
had wished to possess myself of the secret, I had but to touch a
button under the table when Sanderson left my rooms in the Imperial
Flats, which would have caused him to be shadowed and run to earth. I
may also add that the ex-prisoner volunteered no particulars about
himself or his family. Only once on board ship did he attempt to
obtain some information from me as we walked up and down the deck
together.

'You are acting for someone else, I suppose?' he said.

'Yes.'

'For someone in England?'

'Yes.'

'He put up the money, did he?'

'Yes.'

There was a pause, during which we took two or three turns in silence.

'Of course, there's no secret about it,' he said at last. 'I expected
help from the other side, but Colonel Jim has been so mighty long
about it, I was afraid he'd forgotten me.'

'Who is Colonel Jim?'

'Colonel Jim Baxter. Wasn't it him gave you the money?'

'I never heard of the man before.'

'Then who put up the coin?'

'Douglas Sanderson,' I replied, looking at him sidewise as I mentioned
the name. It had apparently no effect upon him. He wrinkled his brow
for a moment, then said:--

'Well, if you never heard of Baxter, I never heard of Sanderson.'

This led me to suspect that Douglas Sanderson did not give me his own
name, and doubtless the address with which he had furni