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He scrutinised ht of the entry lareeing with you very well,quite thin and peaky"

"Well, I've nearly done with it Barnard will be back in about ten days His ship is putting in at Madeira to coal and take in so with those chairs?"

"I aarden railings It's cooler there than indoors If you ait a h he won't be back for a little while" He ran up the stairs, and presently returned with a third chair, and we carried our impedimenta down to the quiet corner at the botto to an end," said he e had placed the chairs and hung the lantern on the railings "Any other news?"

"No Have you any?"

"I aative results There is, of course, a considerable body of evidence, and it all see tofor confirmation or otherwise of my ideas on the subject; for some new item of evidence"

"I didn't know there was any evidence"

"Didn't you?" said Thorndyke "But you know as much as I know You have all the essential facts; but apparently you haven't collated the If you had, you would have found thenificant"

"I suppose I nificance is?"

"No, I think not When I a a case I mention my surmises to nobody--not even to Jervis Then I can say confidently that there has been no leakage Don't think I distrust you Rehts are y is to keep the eneht not to have asked"

"You ought not to need to ask," Thorndyke replied, with a sether and reason fro I had noticed Thorndyke glance at me inquisitively from time to time Now, after an interval of silence, he asked suddenly: "Is anything a about your friends' affairs?"

"No, not particularly; though their prospects don't look very rosy"

"Perhaps they are not quite so bad as they look," said he "But I aay spirits seem to have evaporated" He paused for a few moments, and then added: "I don't want to intrude on your private affairs, but if I can help you by advice or otherwise, remember that we are old friends and that you are "