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Mr Atkins turned white and began to sway

Mr Desmond called for assistance, and an apprentice hastened in to help him lead Mr Atkins to a chair

“My dear fellow,” said Mr Desulps of gin “I’ave you a turn”

“Don’t kill , I swear to you I never wanted—”

“Pray do not distress yourself, sir,” came the solicitous reply “I have no wish to cause you any trouble I’ve only come for the rest of my money”

“Y-your what?”

“The athering crowd of onlookers “But perhaps you would prefer to discuss these mercenary matters in a less public place”

A short time later, Mr Atkins was sufficiently in possession of his wits to believe he was not drea cal to be perfectly content to have his work published after all

“Much ado about nothing,” the Devil confided to his stunned listener “What is Wohter, sir, is bored to extinction with London Society and wishes to go abroad Immediately, of course She has no patience, you know I have been trying for days to speak to you, but you have been unavailable” The Devil’s teeth glearinned “Press of business, I daresay You could not possibly have been avoiding me You are not so poor-spirited a fellow as that”

Mr Atkins was sufficiently poor-spirited to treh he still maintained his fierce possession of the manuscript Even when he had swooned, he had not loosened his grip His fingers had apparently long since frozen permanently in position

“My good man,” said Mr Desmond “I assure you there is no reason for suspicion Please, do what you e I shall wait here patiently I suppose there are papers to be signed?”

“Y—yes,” said Mr Atkins “But they are at my office”

“Then by all o there I shall be confounded relieved to have done with this tiresome business”

Not e and his instructions, while Mr Atkins, still nearly speechless with a his author back down Dean Street

When the two had turned the corner, Mr Langdon stepped out of the nearby cheed tendown the street

Lord Berne, who had been watching events unfold from the shadows of a doorway across the street, broke into a sot the word so quickly—even before hidon—innocent, honest Jack—do his spying for hiot all his inforetful He had likely not paid a farthing in bribes

“Ah, Jack,” he murmured, “How it saddens me to see you take up these wicked ways Yet I do believe you have spared reat deal of trouble”

Mr Langdon ed to restrain hi, he hoped, as innocently preoccupied as ever, and suitably inept as he hailed a hackney

He even ed a semblance of calan ripping open one of his packages Not until he’d checked the pages and assured himself this was the h of relief

Thank heaven he looked so muddled Even the printer, harassed as he was, had felt sorry for hidon had picked up Mr Atkins’s package by iven the publisher his own

Jack had just rung for a well deserved glass of brandy when Lord Berne was announced