now what you're thinking about," she said, "but you never
strike me as being particularly funny, or poor, or old, for the matter
of that," she added demurely.

Bones stooped down from the table and laid his big hand on her head,
rumpling her hair as he might have done to a child.

"You're a dear old Marguerite," he said softly, "and I'm not such a
ditherer as you think. Now, you watch old Bones." And, with that
cryptic remark, he stalked back to his desk.

Two days after this he surprised Hamilton.

"I'm expecting a visitor to-day, old Ham," he said. "A Johnny named de
Vinne."

"De Vinne?" frowned Hamilton. "I seem to know that name. Isn't he the
gentleman you had the trouble with over the boots?"

"That's the jolly old robber," said Bones cheerfully. "I've
telegraphed and asked him to come to see me."

"About what?" demanded Hamilton.

"About two o'clock," said Bones. "You can stay and see your old friend
through, or you can let us have it out with the lad in camera."

"I'll stay," said Hamilton. "But I don't think he'll come."

"I do," said Bones confidently, and he was justified in his confidence,
for at two o'clock to the second Mr. de Vinne appeared.

He was bright and cheerful, even genial to Bones, and Bones was almost
effusive in his welcome.

"Sit down there in the most comfortable chair, happy old financier," he
said, "and open your young heart to old Bones about the Mazeppa Trading
Company."

Mr. de Vinne did not expect so direct an attack, but recovered from his
surprise without any apparent effort.

"Oh, so you know I was behind that, do you? How the dickens did you
find out?"

"Stock Exchange Year Book, dear old thing. Costs umpteen and sixpence,
and you can find out everything you want to know about the directors of
companies," said Bones.

"By Jove! That's clever of you," said de Vinne, secretly amused, for
it was from the Year Book that he expected Bones to make the discovery.

"Now, what's the game, old financial gentleman?" asked Bones. "Why
this fabulous salary to friend Sanders and selling this thousands of
pounds worth of shares, eh?"

The other shrugged his shoulders.

"My dear chap, it's a business transaction. And really, if I thought
you were going to interrogate me on that, I shouldn't have come. Is
Mr. Sanders a friend of yours?" he asked innocently.

"Shurrup!" said Bones vulgarly. "You know jolly well he's a friend of
mine. Now, what is the idea, yo