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 should be done, yet to his chagrin he quite failed to communicate it to S. Gedge Antiques.

From that moment, a suspicion began to grow up in the Frenchman's mind that the seller was not laying all his cards on the table. Could it be that he was telling a cock and bull story? According to Mr. Thornton, who was acting as a go-between, this old man had long had the name of a shifty customer. Undoubtedly he looked one this morning. Jules Duponnet had seldom seen a frontispiece he liked less; and the theory now gained a footing in his mind that the old fox wanted to go back on his bargain.

There were two drawbacks, all the same, to M. Duponnet's theory. In the first place, as no money had yet changed hands, it would be quite easy for S. Gedge Antiques to undo the bargain by a straightforward means; and further, beyond any shadow of doubt, the old man was horribly upset by his loss.

"Let us go to ze bureau, Meester Gedge," he said, as conviction renewed itself in the light of these facts.

"No, no, no," cried the old man, whose brain, capable at times of a surprising vigour, was now furiously at work.

"But why not?"

S. Gedge Antiques did not reply immediately, but at last a dark light broke over the vulpine face. "Why not, Mussewer Duponny? I'll tell you. Because I think there may be a better way of dealing with that damned young scoundrel yonder." William's master pointed towards the inner room. "Happen the police'll need all sorts of information we don't want to give them; and my experience is, Mussewer, their methods are slow and clumsy, and out of date. They may take