Page:More lives than one.djvu/130

 yourself over the telephone, begging him to tell you where he was! But, by Jinks, it shows he’s a cute one!”

“Oh, he’s cute enough. But I don’t see such special shrewdness in telling Charley to pay the bills. Looks like bravado to me—unless it’s a game to get us to leave the place here.”

“No; I don’t see it that way. I think he did it entirely to set Charley’s mind at rest. Also, I think he told the truth about not coming back. I doubt very much if we ever set eyes on Mr. Thomas Locke again, unless we go out and fetch him in, sorely against his will.”

“Then the game is up,” and Glenn looked utterly disgusted.

“Maybe and maybe not. Now, Charley, you slyboots, when Mr. Locke tells you to pay off the bills and close up accounts generally, where do you get the money, eh?”

A threatening look from Hutchins’ eyes made the Chinaman revise his quite apparent intention not to tell.

“I have the money already,” he said, with his sullen hauteur.

“Where?”

“At my home. Misser Locke, he gimme much money—ahead—I use it till all gone—then more come.”

“Oh, I see. He gives you a sum of cash for petty expenses.”

“Yes—that’s what he say—pettys.”

“And you have enough—and a bit left over, eh?”

“Yes”; was the grave reply. “Enough and the bit. And my wages for next month.”

“Ah, very good. The small expense money, your wages a month ahead in lieu of notice. All in case our friend disappears suddenly or unexpectedly. Very good—ve-ry good! So, Glenn, we may deduce, I think, that friend Locke was not altogether unaware of the possibility of