the landlord retained. Opening it, I found some letters and papers to
yours, with certain memoranda of his, which I thought ought to be in
YOUR possession. As an alleged friend of his, I redeemed the trunk by
paying the amount of his bill, and secured the more valuable papers."

Gashwiler, whose face had grown apoplectically suffused as Wiles went
on, at last gasped: "But you got the trunk, and have the papers?"

"Unfortunately, no; and that's why it's bad."

"But, good God! what have you done with them?"

"I've lost them somewhere on the Overland Road."

Mr. Gashwiler sat for a few moments speechless, vacillating between a
purple rage and a pallid fear. Then he said hoarsely:

"They are all blank forgeries,--every one of them."

"Oh, no!" said Wiles, smiling blandly on his dexter side, and enjoying
the whole scene malevolently with his sinister eye. "YOUR papers are all
genuine, and I won't say are not all right, but unfortunately I had in
the same bag some memoranda of my own for the use of my client, that,
you understand, might be put to some bad use if found by a clever man."

The two rascals looked at each other. There is on the whole really very
little "honor among thieves,"--at least great ones,--and the inferior
rascal succumbed at the reflection of what HE might do if he were in the
other rascal's place. "See here, Wiles," he said, relaxing his dignity
with the perspiration that oozed from every pore, and made the collar of
his shirt a mere limp rag. "See here, WE"--this first use of the plural
was equivalent to a confession--"we must get them papers."

"Of course," said Wiles coolly, "if we CAN, and if Thatcher doesn't get
wind of them."

"He cannot."

"He was on the coach when I lost them, coming East."

Mr. Gashwiler paled again. In the emergency he had recourse to the
sideboard and a bottle, forgetting Wiles. Ten minutes before Wiles would
have remained seated; but it is recorded that he rose, took the bottle
from the gifted Gashwiler's fingers, helped himself FIRST, and then sat
down.

"Yes, but, my boy," said Gashwiler, now rapidly changing situations with
the cooler Wiles; "yes, but, old fellow," he added, poking Wiles with a
fat forefinger, "don't you see the whole thing will be up before he gets
here?"

"Yes," said Wiles gloomily, "but those lazy, easy, honest men have a
way of popping up just at the nick of time. They never need hurry; all
things wait for them. Why, don't you remembe