ainerd is on the ground,
and what he will say of our joint undertaking when we meet; for you
can by no means establish a precedent by which to judge of Brainerd's
thoughts and deeds to come. How will our work prosper? Shall we find
it easy? and shall we succeed?'

For Dave Brainerd and I, both professional detectives, 'man-hunters,'
if you will, were sent to this White City on a twofold mission.

It was not our first work together, and at first we did not enter into
it with enthusiasm.

'Masters, Brainerd,' our chief said to us one morning, 'they are going
to want a lot of good men at that World's Fair; I think I'd better put
you both on the list.' And this was all that was said then, but when
we were out of his presence Dave exploded.

'Wants to send us to watch little boys, look after ladies' kerchiefs,
and hunt up lost babies, does he?' he began, in a fume. 'It's not
meself that'll do it; d'ye hear, Masters? I'll go like the biggest
gentleman of all, or like the sleuth I am, but no child-rescuing and
kid-copping for me! Let his honour give us,' with a theatrical
gesture, 'a foeman worthy of our steel.'

Nothing came of this whimsical tirade, and a week had passed before
the chief spoke again upon the subject. Then we were both called into
his private office, and he said:

'Boys, we have just found out to a certainty that Greenback Bob and
his pals are going to operate at the World's Fair. I've already
promised them more good men than I like to spare, but we can't let Bob
and his crowd slip. I did not really mean to send you, either of you,
with the others; but this is something worth while.'

'I should say!' broke in Dave, who was no respecter of persons, unless
perhaps it might have been of Dave Brainerd. 'Do you mean to tell us,
Cap, that the dandy Frenchman is in it?'

'He is very much in it. He crossed from Calais on the last boat in hot
haste, and I'm much mistaken if the whole gang is not already on its
way to the White City, though he only reached this side the night
before last; and there's another party who may give us some trouble.
We don't know him, but he is said to be an all-round bad one, just
come over from Calais with this Delbras. I wish I could give you even
a description of him.'

Greenback Bob was a counterfeiter, or so it was believed, for he was
so bold, so shrewd, and so generally successful, that no one as yet
had been able to entangle him in the meshes of the law; though samples
o