aryll. Rotherby covered his mouth with his
hand, after the fashion of one who masks a smile.

"Ye're rightly served for meddling," said he with relish.

"Out with them," the chubby man demanded. "Ye'll gain nothing by
resistance. So don't be obstinate, now."

"I could be nothing so discourteous," said Mr. Caryll. "Would it be
prying on my part to inquire what may be your interest in my papers?"

His serenity lessened the earl's anxieties, but bewildered him; and it
took the edge off the malicious pleasure which Rotherby was beginning to
experience.

"I am obeying the orders of my Lord Carteret, the Secretary of State,"
said Mr. Green. "I was to watch for a gentleman from France with letters
for my Lord Ostermore. He had a messenger a week ago to tell him to look
for such a visitor. He took the messenger, if you must know, and--well,
we induced him to tell us what was the message he had carried. There is
so much mystery in all this that my Lord Carteret desires more knowledge
on the subject. I think you are the gentleman I am looking for."

Mr. Caryll looked him over with an amused eye, and laughed. "It
distresses me," said he, "to see so much good thought wasted."

Mr. Green was abashed a moment. But he recovered quickly; no doubt he
had met the cool type before. "Come, come!" said he. "No blustering. Out
with your papers, my fine fellow."

The door opened, and a couple of men came in; over their shoulders, ere
the door closed again, Mr. Caryll had a glimpse of the landlady's rosy
face, alarm in her glance. The newcomers were dirty rogues; tipstaves,
recognizable at a glance. One of them wore a ragged bob-wig--the
cast-off, no doubt, of some gentleman's gentleman, fished out of the
sixpenny tub in Rosemary Lane; it was ill-fitting, and wisps of the
fellow's own unkempt hair hung out in places. The other wore no wig at
all; his yellow thatch fell in streaks from under his shabby hat, which
he had the ill-manners to retain until Lord Ostermore knocked it from
his head with a blow of his cane. Both were fierily bottle-nosed, and
neither appeared to have shaved for a week or so.

"Now," quoth Mr. Green, "will you hand them over of your own accord, or
must I have you searched?" And a wave of the hand towards the advancing
myrmidons indicated the searchers.

"You go too far, sir," blustered the earl.

"Ay, surely," put in Mr. Caryll. "You are mad to think a gentleman is
to submit to being searched by any knave tha