J. J. Bell

“ He had honestly endeavored to be single-hearted in his negotiations with Milly Lexington; nevertheless he had striven for success for his own sake as well as his friend's. With the letters safely secured he could say, in effect, to Dicky: “Look here, old man, I've helped you out of a pretty awful hole, and now I'm in one myself.”
He permitted Harmer to recharge the long tumbler and accepted a cigarette from the host's golden box.
“I gave you the best advice I could—er—think of,” he said sadly. “It's nearly always better to confess than to be found out.” ”

“ Sir Richard drew from his breast-pocket the envelope which Leslie had returned to him an hour earlier. He extracted the little bundle of twenty £50 notes and rustled the corners between his thumb and middle finger. “I should say the postman arrives at Somerset Square sometime between seven-thirty and eight—”
“Only a madman would dream of trying the postman,” said Leslie faintly.
“I happen to know,” the other continued, “that the letters are taken in by Graves, the butler, an aged and fussy person—oh, don't imagine I'm thinking of buying him! ”

“ Well, I'm not going to accuse or abuse Sir Richard Harmer, Bart., to his faithful ally. I will only say to you, Mr. Leslie, that even a dancing girl may object to being treated as I have been treated—not necessarily because she is in love with the man—or boy, if you insist on the word. ”

“ A gust of applause came up to his unheeding ears, as the favorite appeared on the stage, saying to herself: “I'm afraid poor old Dicky is going to have a bad night.”
II
LATER in the evening the two most distracted young men in London were to be found in the smoking-room of Sir Richard Harmer's flat.
“I say again, it was a fiendish, devilish thing to do,” the baronet was observing for at least the tenth time.
“That's so,” his friend admitted patiently, “but it isn't particularly helpful. The question is: What's to be done—or, rather, is there anything that can be done?” ”

“ He walked towards the corner. Pulling down his hat brim and lowering his head, he detached his beard and spectacles, and furtively dropped them into the area of No. 1. Keeping his head well down, he turned the corner, and then with a sigh of relief broke into a brisk walk. And suddenly he smiled to think that he had earned fifteen hundred pounds. ”

“ Leslie deposited the letters with their wrapper on the table and laid the salt-cellar package alongside of it; he carefully refolded the coverings of both.
“Now, Dicky,” he said pleadingly, “don't be too hard on a fellow who was only doing his best for you. Don't you see that the one packet looks as likely to contain a bundle of letters as the other—now, doesn't it?” ”

“ The butler received a bundle of letters, also a sealed oblong packet, for which he signed his name on a green slip, and closed the door.
“You look honest man,” remarked the stranger. “I trust you wis ze valuable, if you vill bring me ze han'—write—recipe—of ze Lady Ruby.”
“Well, well,” said the old man testily—he was slowly sorting the mail on a side table—“wait, and I'll ring for her ladyship's maid.”
“Nein. I entroost eet only to you,” said the other, moving forward and pushing his package under the butler's nose. Then he squeezed it—the package—sharply. ”