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158 urgent it is sometimes possible to arrange an amicable trade."

The compromise! It had come at last. Odell turned upon the other a gaze of mild inquiry.

"If I am in need of anything, at least to the extent of compounding a felony in order to obtain it, I am unaware of the fact," he said blandly. "Can you be a trifle more explicit, Mr. Drew?"

"You are young and ambitious; I think you have a real love for your work, an immense enthusiasm, and you are impatient to reach the top of the ladder. I've seen your name in the papers in connection with more than one big case in a subordinate capacity; but minor success is sometimes a boomerang. It leads to petty jealousies and persecutions which retard promotion until the injustice of it embitters your soul. One celebrated case brought to a successful conclusion by you alone would make you for life. This case you are working on promises to be the biggest thing that New York has seen for years. Can you deny that for the sake of your career alone it is not vitally necessary that you should discover the one who is guilty? I do not want the note back; I merely wish to see it destroyed in my presence and to receive your assurance that it and the matter to which it pertains shall be officially forgotten. If in return for this I furnish you with the motive for this series of crimes and attempted crimes, and the strongest kind of circumstantial evidence of the identity of their perpetrator, would you not consider it a fair deal? At best you can prove nothing against me and could only cause me embarrassment, while without my help you can never solve the problem you have undertaken."