Page:Edgar Wallace - The Man who Knew.djvu/38

, because I can't be frightened. I have had to deal with worse men than you and I 'm still alive. I 'll tell you right now that I 'm not going out of England. I 've got a big game on. What did you think of offering me?"

"A thousand pounds," said the other.

"I thought it would be something like that," said Crawley coolly. "It is a flea-bite to me. You take my tip and find another way of keeping her quiet. A clever fellow like you, who knows more about dope than any other man I have met, ought to be able to do the trick without any assistance from me. Why, did n't you tell me that you knew a drug that sapped the will power of people and made them do just as you like? That 's the knockout drop to give her. Take my tip and try it."

"You won't accept my offer?" asked the other.

Crawley shook his head.

"I 've got a fortune in my hand if I work my cards right," he said. "I 've managed to