savagely on Bickerdale. "Don't!" he went on. "Don't you do it! Never mind those fellows over there! there's no police business in this that I know of, and———"
"I'll give you in charge of the police in two minutes, my lad!" said Parslewe suddenly. "Just to show you———"
"Mr. Bickerdale," said Pawley. "Take my advice! I—I understand—from Mr. Parslewe—you'll not be a loser."
Bickerdale gave him a searching look. Then, suddenly, he thrust a hand into his inner breast pocket and drew out a small square envelope, which, with equal quickness, he handed across the table to Parslewe. In its passage, the light from the lamp gleamed upon this envelope; it seemed to me that I saw a crest on the flap.
"Rid of it now, anyway!" growled Bickerdale, sullenly. "Done!"
We were all watching Parslewe. He drew back to a corner of the room, where a second lamp stood on a wall bracket. Beneath this he turned the envelope over, examining it back and front; I saw then that it had been slit open by Bickerdale or Weech, or some-
