ly," pursued Harcout, "my friend saw that he must discontinue
his charity altogether, and through my advice--hem! through my advice,
he did. Mrs. Winslow then became very impudent indeed, and annoyed my
friend beyond endurance, until he was forced to refuse to recognize her,
and gave orders that she should be denied admission to his office. But,
being a very talented woman----"

"She _is_ talented," said Lyon, with a start.

"She has found means to continue her operations against him incessantly,
demanding still larger sums of money, and has engaged counsel to act for
her. Hem!--under my advice, quite recently Mr. Lyon, by paying her five
thousand dollars, secured from her a relinquishment of all claims
against him, rather than oblige a public scandal. But now Mrs. Winslow
claims that this was secured by fraud, and after making another
fruitless demand for ten thousand dollars, which--hem! Mr. Lyon resisted
through my advice, last week began suit against him for one hundred
thousand dollars for breach of promise of marriage. And a hundred
thousand dollars is a big sum of money, Mr. Pinkerton."

"A big sum of money," echoed Lyon.

"But of course," continued Harcout, inserting his thumbs in the
arm-holes of his vest and looking the very picture of injured virtue,
"Mr. Lyon cares nothing for that amount. It is the principle of the
thing. It is the stain upon his good name that he desires to
prevent--and these juries are confoundedly unreliable."

"Confoundedly unreliable," repeated Lyon, chewing nervously.

"Therefore," said Harcout, "really believing, as we do, that we--hem!
that is, Mr. Lyon, of course--is the victim of a designing woman who
really means to wrongfully compel the payment of a large sum of money
and ruin my friend in the estimation of the public, we are anxious that
you should set about ascertaining everything concerning her for use as
evidence in the case."

After asking them a few questions touching facts I desired to ascertain,
the interview terminated with the understanding that Harcout should act
for Mr. Lyon unqualifiedly in the matter, and call at my office as
often as desirable to listen to reports of the progress of my
investigations into the life and history of Mrs. Winslow. I was
satisfied that not half the truth had been given me, and I was more than
ever convinced of this fact when Lyon called me to one side as the
lordly Harcout passed out, and said to me hurriedly:

"Don't be too ha