Page:Richard Marsh--The goddess a demon.djvu/187

Rh "I hold overdue bills of his for £5000. Some men would have made him bankrupt on the nail, and run him up a tidy bill of costs. I'm too soft-hearted; I gave him a chance. But I've had enough bother already; I'm not going to have any more. If a satisfactory arrangement isn't made before I leave this house, there'll be trouble."

"So you are the person who habitually trades in forged acceptances."

"Forged acceptances! What—what the devil do you mean, sir?"

Unless I was mistaken, he increased in puffiness.

"You know. You were aware that they were forged, and by whom. You had a hand in arranging the whole matter; buying them for a song, with the intention of securing as much out of Mr. Philip Lawrence as you possibly could."

The gentleman began to bluster. Plainly he was not happy.

"I—I don't know who you are to talk to me like that, sir. Your behaviour's altogether most extraordinary. I'll let you know that I'm not going to have you speak to me like that: I'm not going to have such language addressed to me. I came into possession of these bills in the ordinary course of business."