I to let him stay away
without taking any measures to find out whether his life really was
threatened in California, and trying to help him out of a scrape if
necessary? Of course, if it was all straight he'd be furious to have a
watch set on his actions, and would never forgive me the indiscretion.
Still, I haven't heard from him, as I said, since the day of his
arrival, and neither my mind nor my conscience is very easy, Mr.
Stanton. The question is, What would you do if you were in my place?"

I was delighted at this, and turned half away, that he might not see my
change of countenance.

"It's rather a difficult position," I said, slowly, "for _you_. But
there's a simple way out of it, without the necessity for you to run any
risk of losing Mr. Farnham's favour. I've been to the Santa Anna Hotel
before. There's no reason why I shouldn't go again if I choose, and no
reason why I should mention having spoken with you at all if I meet my
old friend. I'm something of a nomad, you know, and if I'm in England
one month, and turn up in Kamtchatka the next, nobody is ever in the
least surprised."

"But have you been thinking of going to California?" asked Bennett, half
relieved and half dubious as to the course proposed.

"Oh, yes, I've been thinking of it," I promptly answered. But I
neglected to add that it had only been during the past five minutes.

CHAPTER XXII

Face to Face

It was very nearly dinner time, two days later, when I drove up to the
Santa Anna Hotel in San Francisco. Far away the bay could be seen and
the Seal Rock, with the light of a great yellow moon touching its dark
outlines and mingling with the blue, wintry twilight.

The neighbourhood was greatly changed since my last visit, but the hotel
remained much the same. My first thought, after greeting the bluff old
compatriot who kept the house, was to look at the visitors' book.

My heart gave a quick thump as I came on the name of Harvey Farnham. It
was not in his handwriting, which, though I had not seen it for some
time, I remembered quite distinctly.

"Ah, gentleman's ill," said the proprietor, when I cautiously questioned
him. "Had his arm in a sling--got my clerk to put his name down for him,
I recollect, as I was standing by. Mr. Farnham has been out a good deal,
however, since he arrived, and, indeed, is out at present. He usually
comes in about dinner time though."

This was an incentive to me not to miss that meal. I got in