that. Well, who knows,"       and with a mysterious nod she disappeared.     

       "Queer thing, coming across an old flame of your father's in Queer Street," said the Nut affably. "What do you think?"     

       "I think," said Hench in anything but an amiable tone, "that you had better mind your own damned business."     

       Spruce was by no means offended. "As you will, although you should be sensible enough to use my brains to help you with your family mystery."     

       "There is no mystery. How often am I to repeat that?" And Hench walked away fuming with rage at the little man's persistence.     

     

 CHAPTER IV 

       THE ADVERTISEMENT     

  

       Hench felt annoyed with himself for talking so freely about his private affairs in the presence of Spruce, yet he could not see how he could have done otherwise. Madame Alpenny, disregarding the obvious fact that his proposal for her daughter's hand was not for public discussion, had appealed to the little man for information concerning the suitor, and in this way the Nut had been drawn into the conversation. If was not that Hench affected reticence, as he was a singularly frank man; or that there was anything to conceal in his past life, since that was free from punishable misdeeds. But it irritated him that Spruce should meddle, as       the man appeared to have a finger in everybody's pie, and Hench saw no reason why he should have anything to do with this particular pastry. For this reason he gave his old schoolfellow the cold shoulder.     

       Spruce objected to this, as it was his aim to ingratiate himself, with a view to possible happenings which would place him in possession of money. At the outset Hench's friendship had not appeared to be worth cultivating, as he was poor, aggressively honest, and not at all a man to be exploited by the unscrupulous. But after Hench's confidence regarding the papers at the lawyers', Spruce 

 Prev. P 36/242 next