Mother Gutch spoke.

"Well, young man," she said, "having considered matters, and having a
right to look well to myself, I think that what I should prefer to have
would be one of those annuities. A nice, comfortable annuity, paid
weekly--none of your monthlies or quarterlies, but regular and
punctual, every Saturday morning. Or Monday morning, as was convenient
to the parties concerned--but punctual and regular. I know a good many
ladies in my sphere of life as enjoys annuities, and it's a great
comfort to have 'em paid weekly."

It occurred to Spargo that Mrs. Gutch would probably get rid of her
weekly dole on the day it was paid, whether that day happened to be
Monday or Saturday, but that, after all, was no concern of his, so he
came back to first principles.

"Even now you haven't said how much," he remarked.

"Three pound a week," replied Mother Gutch. "And cheap, too!"

Spargo thought hard for two minutes. The secret might--might!--lead to
something big. This wretched old woman would probably drink herself to
death within a year or two. Anyhow, a few hundreds of pounds was
nothing to the _Watchman_. He glanced at his watch. At that hour--for
the next hour--the great man of the _Watchman_ would be at the office.
He jumped to his feet, suddenly resolved and alert.

"Here, I'll take you to see my principals," he said. "We'll run along
in a taxi-cab."

"With all the pleasure in the world, young man," replied Mother Gutch;
"when you've given me that other half-sovereign. As for principals, I'd
far rather talk business with masters than with men--though I mean no
disrespect to you." Spargo, feeling that he was in for it, handed over
the second half-sovereign, and busied himself in ordering a taxi-cab.
But when that came round he had to wait while Mrs. Gutch consumed a
third glass of gin and purchased a flask of the same beverage to put in
her pocket. At last he got her off, and in due course to the _Watchman_
office, where the hall-porter and the messenger boys stared at her in
amazement, well used as they were to seeing strange folk, and he got
her to his own room, and locked her in, and then he sought the presence
of the mighty.

What Spargo said to his editor and to the great man who controlled the
fortunes and workings of the _Watchman_ he never knew. It was probably
fortunate for him that they were both thoroughly conversant with the
facts of the Middle Temple Murder, and saw that there might be an
advant